More Than Anyone
by Brownk14
Summary: She was pregnant when she left Tree Hill with Brooke five years ago. Now they are back in Tree Hill for a funeral, with an extra person. What happens when the truth about her daughter come out? Which Scott brother will claim her heart once and for all?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- The first two seasons are the same, but Haley and Nathan never get back together. They divorce and stay friends. Lucas and Brooke's relationship still happens and still falls apart because of Peyton. That should be it for now; any other questions will be filled in though flashbacks.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Mark ****Schwahn ****owns One Tree Hill and all its characters, I just tweak the story a bit.**

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"Luke, don't worry…she's gonna come." His petite friend reassures him as he paces back a fourth in his kitchen. Ever since he heard that Peyton might come home he has been in full panic mode.

"Yeah, but how can you be so sure Haley? I, I mean it's been what...five years since we've really seen her." Haley looks at him sympathetically and walks over to him.

In the last five years it's just been them. Literally the day after graduation Peyton and Brooke went off to California to intern a record company and start a clothing line. Nathan went to Duke to play college ball and soon after he graduated from there he got drafted by the NBA. Lucas and Haley both stayed close and went to USC. For the two of them things seemed to go back to the way they were; before the Ravens and before getting married and divorced in high school. What Lucas didn't know was that Haley and Peyton still kept in touch.

"Hey. She's coming, it's Whitey. She'll be here, and so will Brooke." He shoots her a smile because he knows how much the older man means to both girls.

"Nathan is coming to you know. It will kinda be like old times." He says to her with a reminiscent smile growing on his face.

Haley smiles back, "Yeah, I've heard." She pauses, "Well anyway, I have someplace to be sooo, I will see you later."

Lucas cocks his head and gives her his signature squint, "Where are you going Hales?"

"Ah, ha. That is top secret buddy. I'll talk to you later." She gives him one last smiles and leaves through his kitchen door.

-

Peyton looks up in to the sky, her green eyes searching for answers. She lets out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding then looks down to a small girl that is clinging to her hand. "Alright are you ready for this girly?" she asks her.

"Sure am Momma." she says, as she nods her head, her brown unruly curls bob up and down. "Are you?" her daughter asks as she looks up to her mother with large green eyes that match her own.

"As ready as I'll ever be baby. Welcome to Tree Hill." Peyton says as she looks around the cemetery.

It has been five years since Peyton has been in Tree Hill. Five years since she saw the face of so many friends she still cared about. But she did what she had to do. When she left with Brooke for California she swore that she was never coming back to this town. It held too many memories; two dead moms, a psycho stalker, too many love triangles to count. But she had to come back, if she didn't she would never forgive herself.

She got the call three days ago from Haley. It was an urgent phone call begging her to come back to Tree Hill. Whitey was dying. Their high school basketball coach was losing his battle with old age; well that was the way Haley put it. He had been like a father to Peyton when hers wasn't around. He talked to her when she needed someone and gave her advice when she needed it most. He was one of the few people that know about the pregnancy, aside from Brooke and Haley. She trusted him with this secret and he helped her mend her relationship with Brooke and helped them get settled in California. After she hung up the phone from talking to Haley she knew what she had to do. She called Brooke and they booked three plane tickets to Tree Hill, North Carolina.

That was three days ago. Now she stands in the middle of the cemetery, which is full of too many people she loves if you ask her, with her four and a half year old daughter holding her hand. This is not the way she ever had expected to come back and see everybody. Sure she had thought about coming home once or twice. Brooke talked about it when she started feeling nostalgic and Haley brought it up almost every time they talked on the phone. After a while she wanted to go back, but how do you explain that you have a four year old daughter that you hid from almost everyone?

'Well, it's now or never.' thought Peyton as she let go of her daughter's hand.

"Come here baby, I want you to meet your Grandma. Hi Mom. Remember when I told you I was pregnant? Well, this is my daughter." She said as she traced her mother's name with her finger.

"Hi Grandma. I'm Sawyer Brooke Scott." She said as she started to trace the name of her grandmother just as Peyton had done.

Peyton chuckled at her daughter and watched as she talked to her mother just as she had done many times before; her daughter was intently telling her all the exciting things that she has done in LA with her mother and her Aunt Brooke.

"Eh hemm! Excuse me, but I think I'm looking for a Peyton Sawyer." Coughs Haley, as she walks over to where Peyton and Sawyer are standing with arms wide open.

"Oh my God! Haley James!" yells Peyton as she runs over and gives Haley a hug.

"You actually came. I'm happy you called me Peyton." The brunette said sincerely giving her a warm welcoming smile. "Brooke is here already you know that right?"

"Of course, we came. I'm glad I called you too, Brooke's great but…she can be…overbearing sometimes." she said uneasily. Peyton looks over to Sawyer, and waves her over. "Hey come here, there's someone I want you to meet."

Sawyer walks over to her mother and Haley cautiously. Her large green eye staring intently at the two women in front of her.

"Peyton she's beautiful." Haley whispers, and Peyton gives her a thankful smile.

Peyton kneels down to her daughter's level, "Baby this is one of my best friends. She's your Aunt Haley." Sawyer's eyes dance from Peyton to Haley as she listens to her mother's words. "Remember all the stories I told you about her?"

Sawyer looks up at Haley's motherly face one last time before running up to her and giving her a hug.

"Oh!" said a shocked Haley "Hi Sawyer. It is very nice to finally meet you." Once Sawyer broke away from the hug she stuck her hand out to properly greet Haley.

"Hi, I'm Sawyer Brooke Scott, age four." She said proudly.

"Well Sawyer Brooke Scott age four how about we get you and your Mom out of this cemetery and into my car so you can finally get home?" said Haley as she grabbed Sawyers hand.

Peyton mouthed Haley a silent thank you and strapped her into the car. The ride to Peyton's house was silent; by the time they got there Sawyer was asleep.

Before getting out of the car Peyton looks over to Haley, "Thanks Hales. I don't know if I said it already but I really appreciate this. It really means a lot to me."

Haley gives her a small smile, "You know I would do anything for you, and that little girl." She said as they both glanced back at the sleeping child in the back.

"Look," Haley slowly starts, "I know you asked me not to say anything to Lucas, and I haven't, but he's going to find out sooner or later...they both are."

Peyton sighs; she knew this was going to get brought up. "I know Hales. You and Brooke…you and Brooke have been really great to me, and I'm going to tell him. I am… just not now."

Haley takes in a breath and looks over to Peyton "Alright, but you've got to do it soon." She paused, thinking of the right thing to say, "What about Nathan? Does he know?" Peyton shakes her head. "He misses you, a lot…Lucas. And I know that this is going to break his heart when he finds out."

"Yeah, well, it's going to break mine too. Thanks again Haley, I'll give you a call tomorrow." She says as she is getting Sawyer from the back seat of the car.

Haley gives Peyton one last wave before driving off, leaving Peyton and Sawyer on their own.

**-This is my first story. I hope you like it so far, it is going to be a chapter fic. I honestly don't know how long it is going to be but I know where I want to take it.**** I am a Leyton shipper but Nathan and Peyton have always been my guilty pleasure.**** I've had this idea in my mind for a while and finally got up the courage to write it. Be easy on me, leave reviews, give advice, but no hate mail, that can put a damper of someone's day. =)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters. This is simply for fun.**

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Peyton opens the door to her childhood home with her sleeping daughter in her hands. She takes a look around and notices that the light in the living room is on. Knowing full well that this is Tree Hill and that anybody could be in her house she picks up a broom with her free hand while holding her sleeping daughter protectively in the other. She cautiously proceeds to walk into her living room; she only stops when she notices her brunette best friend sleeping on her couch.

Peyton puts down the broom and gently nudges the sleeping woman on the couch.

"Brooke….sweetie…I'm home." She whispers, trying to wake up Brooke, but not Sawyer.

Peyton jumped back, Brooke woke up with a start.

"Huh?! What?" She looks around and notices Peyton with a sleeping Sawyer. "There my girls are!" she says with a smile.

"Oh, P. Sawyer, it's about time your skinny as got here. Why didn't you call me, I've been waiting for you. I started to get nervous. You know since the whole Ian Banks thing, and I know how you feel about being back in Tree Hill so I just figured…" And she was rambling, Peyton knew this. She had the best friend in the world, but sometimes she talks too much.

"Hey! Brooke, I'm sorry I didn't call you….I called Haley." Peyton bit her lip waiting for Brooke's response, before she responded Peyton continued. "I don't know, I just missed her so I figured I catch up with her for a bit before things got too crazy."

Brooke gave Peyton her signature dimpled smile. "P, you could have called and told me that. Well, now that you are actually back and didn't bail on me, let's put that beautiful daughter of yours in a bed." She said as she led the way upstairs.

It was a cool October night, a nice change from the warm California air. The stars were abundant and the sky was clear, she and Brooke sat together outside on the porch, not talking just taking in all that Tree Hill had to offer. They sat like that quietly for some time until Brooke finally broke the silence.

She sucked in some air and finally spoke shaking her head. "Peyton how are we going to tell them? About Sawyer." Looking to her blond friend.

There it was the big question that Peyton wasn't sure she knew the answer to. She knew that if she was ever to return to Tree Hill there would be questions that she would have to answer. Not only did she not know the answers to them, but she really, really didn't _want_ to answer them. Ever since Peyton and Brooke rekindled their friendship Brooke has taken a very protective stance over her and Sawyer. She has taken it upon herself to do everything in her power to protect and save them from anything that may come their way. But Brooke knows that she cannot save them from this, and Peyton knows it too.

"Hey, _you_, do not have to tell them anything Brooke. This is something I have to do on my own. Okay. As much as I'm dreading it, I have to be the one to tell everyone. Not you." She told Brooke with determination.

Brooke looked at her sympathetically, "Okay. If that's what you want, you know I will always stand by you P."

"Yeah I know. And I love you for that. I love that you look after Sawyer as if she were your own. It means the world to me B. Davis. You really are an amazing friend." Peyton confesses to Brooke.

Brooke looks at her best friend, fighting back the tears in her eyes that she knows are about to fall. She gets up and wraps her arms around the thin blond.

"I will always look after that little girl. She's my baby Brooke." She and Peyton both share a laugh and then fall into a comfortable silence.

"Tomorrow we should really try to get to the hospital. We don't know how much longer he has." Brooke says breaking silence.

"I know, we'll go first thing in the morning." Peyton sighs, staring off into the night.

"Are we taking Baby Brooke or are well calling Tutor Girl to babysit?" asks Brooke wearily.

"She should meet him. " Peyton says after a beat. "She should meet the man who brought us back together Brooke. Without him the two of us wouldn't have you."

Brooke smiles at her best friend lovingly, "Thanks Peyton. Alright, I guess that means the squirt gets to meet Whitey." She pauses, "Look I'm going to head to bed now, but I want you to know you're doing a great job with her. And you did the right thing coming home."

"Yeah… we all have to face our demons sometimes right?" Peyton questions.

"Yeah, we do. Night." Brooke enters the house, leaving Peyton outside with her own thoughts.

-

"Yeah Nate, he's really not doing too well." Haley says into the phone. "So I'm thinking that you're gonna have to come back sooner then you originally planned."

She decided that she should call Nathan and urge him to get here sooner than they had originally though. Whitey's health in increasingly getting worse and he wants everyone who was close to him to have a chance to say one last goodbye.

Nathan huffs into the phone, "Ugh, Hales, I don't know how I am going to be able to get back. I have a game tomorrow night. A big game."

Tomorrow night is a big game for the Charlotte Bobcats, it's the game that will either qualify them for the playoffs, or kicks them out and ends their season. It's a game Nathan has been looking forward to since he made it into the NBA. But he knows that if it wasn't for the man that Haley is trying to convince him to go visit, he never would have made it this far. He knows what he has to do. But he doesn't mean he has to like it.

"Nathan Scott, that man was your couch for four years, and a friend for a lot longer than that. And you know as well as I do if it wasn't for him you wouldn't be half the player you are today…. He wants to see you." she whispers, after yelling at him. "He wants to see everyone before he passes and at this rate it could be any minute." She tells him that last part in a rushed sentence.

There is an extended pause on the phone until Haley finally hears Nathan sigh, "I'll tell them there is a death in the family, which isn't a lie. I'll be in Tree Hill by tonight. Make sure Luke knows I'm coming." He finally tells her.

Haley let out the breath she was holding since she yelled at Nathan. "Oh, okay, good…. alright. Nathan you won't regret this. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

He puts his phone down and takes a seat on his bed. His home is still in Tree Hill but he has been living in Charlotte, North Carolina ever since he got drafted. This past year has been crazy for him, Dan finally decided to stay out of his life, his mom went back into rehab, he got drafted into the NBA, and now his high school basketball coach is dying. He is going home to Tree Hill to say goodbye to a dying man. This is definitely not the way he ever imagined coming back home. He wonders if Peyton and Brooke are going to come back. He knows he was an ass to them. He said something's he wishes he could have taken back. Maybe if they come home this trip to Tree Hill won't be a complete waste. Maybe.

-

They woke up to the pitter patter of a four year old girl running down the hallway screaming for her aunt and mother.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy! Aunt Brooke! Wake-up!"

Sawyer Brooke Scott was one hell of an alarm clock.

Her small body made her way onto her mother's bed and instantly started jumping on it. This didn't sit well with Peyton, Sawyer knew that jumping on the bed was breaking the rules, and breaking the rules is a big no in the Sawyer/Davis household.

Brooke heard the commotion and decided that it was best to wake up and check on her girls.

"Sawyer Brooke Scott, I'm pretty sure that your mother and I said no jumping on the beds." Brooke said from the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah little miss, you know the rules. Just because we're in a different house doesn't mean the rules change." Added Peyton finally waking up.

Sawyer stopped jumping as soon as she saw her godmother in the doorway. "Sorry Aunt Brooke. I just wanted to wake up Mommy." she turned to her mother with her big green eyes. "I'm sorry Mommy, I didn't mean to break your rules." She plopped her butt on the bed and hung her head dramatically.

"Oh God, she gets that from you Brooke!" She pointed to Brooke and Brooke came and sat on the bed. "Come here baby, we're not mad at you. We just don't want you falling off the bed and getting hurt." She told her daughter.

Sawyer cuddled up next to her Aunt Brooke and Brooke placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. She chuckled at how dramatic Sawyer was being. She definitely did get that from her, Peyton was never this dramatic as a child.

"Sawyer, sweetie how about we go get you dressed for today. We have somebody that we have to go visit and we must look our best." She said trying to brighten Sawyers mood.

It worked. Her eyes lit up and she practically ran to her new room anxiously awaiting Brooke to help her get ready.

"Thanks B. Davis. Go get her skinny butt ready like you promised." She said to her best friend.

-

They got to the hospital around 10:15; by time they got there Haley and Lucas were already in Whitey's room talking to him. That is when the panic started setting in. The whole situation became a little more real for Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer. Brooke saw the panic in her best friend's eyes and instantly grew concerned.

"Hey, honey, if you want to leave and come back at a different time we can do that." Brooke said to Peyton with deep concern in her voice.

"No, no. It's now or never right?" She breathed out, looking to Brooke for encouragement. Brooke nodded her head. "I can't keep hiding from this. I can't keep hiding my daughter Brooke…she doesn't deserve that."

"Okay P, you know I got your back. I will support every decision you make. Let's do this." Brooke took hold of Sawyer's small hand a lead them into Whitey's room.

"Well, well, well. Look what the tide dragged in." Whitey chimed.

Lucas and Haley turned around to see exactly what he was talking about. They came face to face with three girls.

"Peyton…" Lucas whispered.

**A/N- Thank you to everyone who has review thus far. Your reviews are amazing, I hope I don't disappoint. Your reviews are greatly appreciated. And since my muse is in full swing I give you Chapter 2 of More Than Anyone. The title of the story is from the Gavin DeGraw song (which I do not own btw) that was Nathan & Haley's wedding song. No symbolism at all I just love the song. Sorry for the long A/N. Read & Review. =)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

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"Peyton…" Lucas whispers.

"Broody! Hey I missed you." Brooke says cutting Lucas off from saying anything else. She walks up to him and gives him a hug.

Peyton and Sawyer are still standing in the doorway as Brooke greets everyone.

Hugging Brooke back, "Cheery, God I missed you too."

"And Tutor Girl! How are you?" Brooke asks breaking away from Lucas.

"Tigger." Haley gets up and gives Brooke a hug. "I'm good, glad to see you guys came."

Brooke turns around and comes face to face with Whitey. Tears start dancing in Brookes hazel eyes as she looks at the broken man. She sighs, "Whitey. " Is all she can get out before the tears start flowing.

"Miss Davis, I'm glad you were able to get down here to visit." Whitey tells her.

"Coach, you know I would. How are you feeling?" Brooke asks him.

"Eh, as good as I can be I guess." He looks to the door and sees Peyton and Sawyer. "And who do we have here with Miss Sawyer?"

Lucas and Haley look at Peyton and Sawyer. Haley has a smile on her face and Lucas has an expression of utter confusion.

Peyton looks down at her daughter, "Go ahead baby, introduce yourself."

Sawyer walks over to the bed where Whitey is laying. Brooke picks her up and brings her closer to him.

"Hi, I'm Sawyer Brooke Davis. Age four and a half." She says proudly.

"Well, Sawyer, you're as pretty as your Momma." Whitey says.

Sawyer blushes, and nudges her head in the crook of Brookes' neck.

Lucas turns to Brooke and says "Brooke, you have a daughter?"

Brooke protectively puts her hand on Sawyers back, she opens her mouth to respond but Peyton gets to it first.

"No." she pauses, "Sawyer is mine." Peyton says finally walking in. "Coach. It's been a long time."

"That it has." He replies

Brooke puts Sawyer down and she walks over to Haley.

"Aunt Haley. I'm hungry." She says as her green eyes look into Haley's deep brown.

"Oh okay. Let's go I'll get you something good from the cafeteria. How's that sound?" She asked.

Haley glances over to Brooke who gives her a nod. Brooke and Lucas start to have a silent conversation.

"How are you feeling Whitey?" Peyton asks, but she already knows the answer.

"As good as a dying man could feel." He tartly responds.

"Hey! Don't talk like that." She hisses back to him and takes a deep breath. "I hate feeling like this is going to be that last time that we're going to talk." She says as she blinks back tears.

Whitey places a gentle hand on one of Peyton's. "Peyton, you are doing a wonderful job with the little girl of yours. Both of your mothers would be proud." Tears are now easily flowing from both of their eyes as Whitey tells Peyton this.

"Do they know?" he dares to ask.

She looks down and shakes her head. "No. I haven't told them."

"Peyton, they need to know. Her father needs to know." He urges her.

Peyton throws her head back and sighs heavily. "I know, I know. I've told him once before." She confessed. "But he didn't believe me."

Whitey givers her a look as if he were saying _'Are we talking about the same guy?' _She sends a glare his way.

"Peyton, he's grown up now. You gotta talk to him. Please. For me, as a…umm...what you call it? My last wish. Please tell them. Both of them." He begs her.

Tears are brimming in her eyes yet again. "You suck you know that." She says as she wipes her eyes. "I will as soon as I see them."

-

Brooke, Haley and Sawyer are now all in Whiteys room talking to him about anything possible. Luke gently touches Peyton's elbow.

"Hey can we talk outside for a bit?" he cautiously asks her.

She nods her head and follows him outside.

"I've misses you Peyton." Lucas confesses.

"I've misses you too Luke. You look good." She says uneasily

And he does look good. His hair is messier then she remembers, and he still has that boyish face; only now it has become more rugged; he looks more mature. He's dressed in a blue and white striped button down with torn jeans and he's got a new tattoo of a cross on his wrist. He looks good; but he's not that guy anymore and she's not that girl.

He wasn't lying when he said he misses her. He misses her every day. He missed the way her hair would cover her eyes when she was working on a sketch, she missed her infectious laugh when someone told a joke, and he missed the way she fit perfectly in his arms. Five years, God, it's been five years since he kissed her. He wants to kiss her now take everything that he has done back with one kiss. But he knows he can't. Not only that he can't, but she won't let him. Peyton Sawyer has changed in my ways, but she is still stubborn, and still bitter. And he knows it.

"Yeah you do too….So you have a daughter?" he hesitantly asked her.

A small smile crept upon her face and the mention of her daughter. "Yeah…I do."

"She beautiful Peyt." He said with sincerity in his voice.

"She is isn't she?" Peyton responded back with a smile.

"Peyton," he started, "is she…I, I mean is Sawyer… is she…"

"Is she yours?" she finished for him, and her smile broke.

There it is. The big question that Peyton was dreading, _'Is she my daughter?' _Peyton knew the answer to that. Now it became real, she heard the words directly from Luke's mouth and she had to give him an answer. She had to tell him the truth; well part of the truth.

Lucas let out a breath, "Yeah."

"No Luke. She's mine." She said with force.

"Oh." Was all he could manage.

The minuet he heard the word _no_ slip from her lip his heart broke just a little bit. He always imagined that Peyton would be a great mom. And whenever he imagined her with a child; that child always had blonde hair and blue eyes, it was always their child. He had a feeling Sawyer wasn't his, but hearing _'No.'_ broke his heart just the same. Deep down he had wish she was his.

"Yeah. I would never hide your child from you, you know me better than that." She reassured him.

"If she's not mine then…who's her father?" he asks with caution giving her his signature squint.

"She doesn't have one. He's not in her life." She shoots back.

"Do I know him?"

"He's an ass." Is all she replies before walking back into Whiteys room with Haley, Brooke and Sawyer.

Brooke notices the mix of emotions in Peyton's eyes & takes in that Lucas never followed her back in. She gets up from the chair she was sitting in and slips outside into the hallway where Lucas is brooding.

She sees Luke sitting against the wall with his head in his hands. Her heart breaks; she knew this is what would happen. One of the Scott brothers was bound to get his heart broken. I just happen to be Lucas this time.

"Hey buddy; how you holding up?" she asks as she slides down the wall taking a seat next to him.

"I'll be fine…So you and Peyton. I'm glad you found each other again." Luke tells her.

"Yeah me too."

"You guys have done a great job with Sawyer; she's beautiful." He confesses to Brooke. "Why Sawyer? Why name her Sawyer?" he finally asks.

Brooke looks up; trying to think of the best possible way to explain this to him without blowing their cover. "Peyton had a really rough pregnancy Luke. And when she gave birth to Sawyer they didn't think she was going to make it." Just thinking of Sawyer's birth brings tears to Brooke's eyes. "You didn't see her Luke; I thought I was going to looser her; so I named the baby Sawyer, so she would always have a piece of Peyton with her even after she passed." Brooke said as the tears were flowing freely.

None of this was a lie. Even though Brooke and Peyton were still hiding things from Lucas; right now Brooke what telling the God's honest truth. Peyton did have an extremely rough pregnancy. Brooke name the baby Sawyer thinking that Peyton wasn't going to make it…but she didn't name her Sawyer Davis; she named her Sawyer Scott.

Lucas listens to Brooke recall Peyton giving birth to Sawyer; he had no idea what their life had been like after graduation. He never expected everything to be perfect, but he never imagined that he could have lost Peyton forever.

I was time for Brooke to think up a lie; and fast. "The doctors asked me for a last name, if Peyton were to die; I was to be her daughters' legal guardian….so I told them Davis. It was the only thing I could think of." She lied.

"Brooke, I…I had no idea." He whispers.

"No one did Broody. No one did." She sucked in a breath. "Three days later Peyton woke up from the coma and she had a beautiful baby girl. I told her what I named her and she said 'Brooke. Sawyer Brooke.' And that is how we got Baby Brooke's name." she finished with a dimpled smile.

Lucas laughed, "Baby Brooke?"

"Yeah she's my Baby Brooke." She answered.

"You really love them don't you Brooke?" he asked.

"They're my family. Peyton is like my sister and I would give my life for Sawyer ." she told him, Brooke eyed him carefully thinking of what to say next.

She puts a gentle hand on Lucas' shoulder. "Things are going to be Okay Luke. Just remember that." She looked off into the distance. "It may not seem like it now; but it's all gonna be Okay." She reassured him.

He smiled at her. Not entirely sure of what she was talking about; but Brooke Davis was a smart girl. He trusted her instincts.

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**Next Chapter will have flashbacks. Thanks for your reviews! They mean the world.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters. Flashbacks are italicized. **_.

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_Peyton Sawyer has gone through many things in her short lifetime. Never did she think that her best friend would go behind her back and kiss her boyfriend. They have overcome so much together; love triangles, sex tapes, and stalkers, who knew Brooke would be willing to throw that all away just to get with Lucas one last time. And what makes it worse is that she saw it. She saw it with her own eyes; Lucas and Brooke kissing. A kiss always means something right? She couldn't let this happen, not again. So Peyton did the one thing she knows how to do best…she ran. Right into the arms of her ex-boyfriend. Literally._

"_Oh...ugh. Nathan I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. I was actually just leaving." Looking up at him with tear stained eyes._

"_Sawyer. What the hell happened?" he asked her as he let go of her arms._

_She looks at him and says with force. "Your brothers an ass!.....And Brooke is a bitch!"_

_He couldn't help but laugh. She was just crying, and within a matter of seconds she's pissed._

"_This isn't funny Nate! I'm serious!" she said as she punched him in the arm._

_He flinched back at her punch. "Hey! Hey! Alright. I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "What happened?" He asked as they started walking together._

_Peyton sighed. "They kissed." He cocked an eyebrow. "Brooke and Lucas. I saw it happen and I just ran."_

"_Wait a minute. You saw Brooke and Lucas kissing? Are you sure?" he asks doubtfully._

_He knows his brother can be an ass and the Brooke can be a bitch but he never thought that they would do this to Peyton. She means too much to them._

"_I'm sure. It was a hands tangled in her hair full on Lucas/Brooke kind of kiss." She said looking down at her feet._

"_What did you say?" he waited for her response. Nothing. "You're telling me you didn't say anything."_

_She shook her head. "Nate what was I supposed to say? Oh hey Luke. I love you too, wanna make it a threesome?" she retorted sarcastically. _

_She was upset and he knew it. They made their way into his empty bedroom and sat down on his bed._

"_I never thought Brooke would do that to me. I mean we're best friends! We've been through so much together ya know. Especially lately…I just, I don't know. I mean, sure she slept with you, but we were terrible together. That doesn't even really count." She rambled on._

_Nathan listened to her ramble. She was right he had slept with Brooke; while he was dating Peyton. God, he was an ass. But she was wrong about one thing; they weren't terrible together, in fact Nathan thought they were pretty great together. He had to make her see that._

"_I'm sorry." He says lamely. _

_She can't help it. She laughs."It's not your fault Luke and Brooke are screwing around."_

_He shakes his head and grabs her hand. "No. Not for that." His icy blue eyes meet her emerald green ones. "For everything." She looks at him confused. He sighs, "I was terrible to you when we dated. You didn't deserve that. But for what it's worth I think we were pretty great together." He confesses._

_She looks away, she can't bear hearing this. She thought that she and Nathan were done. Wait, they are done. She loves Lucas; that's why they broke up. And Nathan loves Haley; even if they aren't together right now. This, her and Nathan, isn't supposed to happen. They are old news. Right? Then why did her heart just skip a beat when he told her he thought they were 'pretty great together'? And why does she want to kiss him so badly right now?_

_So she starts putting her walls up, like always. She pulls her small hands out from his larger ones and stands up. Great now she's pacing._

"_Nathan." She pleads with him "You…I, I…you can't say those things to me! Not now, not…" she takes a breath, "not after everything that's happened. I mean God, you were married!" she screams._

_Nathan stands up now and faces her. "Your right. I was married. But Haley and I, we weren't in love. We were young; and I was lying to myself. She was a rebound Peyton." He tells her._

"_Don't! Don't you dare tell me that you love me and that it's always been me!" She yells and walks away from him. She can't look at him; if she does she might do something extremely stupid._

"_Peyton. I love you. And it's always been you." He tells her, passion oozing from his voice._

_He did it; the exact thing that she tells him not to do. And in that moment she forgets all about Brooke and Lucas kissing in the other room. In that moment she fell in love with Nathan Scott all over again. And everything that they have done to each other and every relationship that have had after each other has just been erased. _

_He slowly starts walking over to her. He grabs her waist with one hand while the other grazes her perfect face._

_Her breathing is hitched; she knows something is going to happen that she will never be able to take back, but she can't bring herself to care._

_Their lips are inches apart._

"_Nate. I…but, what about Lucas?" she had to throw that out there. Thinking maybe that would stop him._

_It didn't._

"_What about him?" is his response._

_She says nothing. He takes that as his cue. He crashes his lips into hers and they stumble backwards onto his bed. She knows this is wrong. This is the exact thing that she's pissed at Brooke and Lucas about. But she doesn't care. All she cares about is that Nathan is taking too damn long to take his shirt off._

_Their lips part only when their shirts are being thrown over their heads. Clothes are flying everywhere and Nathan looks deeply into her eyes, never breaking contact. _

"_I love you Peyton." He whispers passionately. "I'm in love with you."_

"_Shh… don't ruin it Nate." She smiles at him. She kisses him once more before he has the chance to say anything else._

"_I love you too…" She whispers when he enters her. There was no going back now._

_-_

_It happened. Lucas kissed her. Perfect, how is she supposed to explain this to Peyton? It's not like she wants Lucas to kiss her. She's been over Lucas a long time now, and has come to terms with Lucas and Peyton: True Love Always. But Lucas kissed her, and as far as she is concerned that's crossing a line; he's with Peyton, and she will not be that girl. She won't do that to her best friend, because she knows how much it hurts._

"_Lucas…..Damn it! You're with Peyton now. We cannot do this!" Brooke yelled as she broke the kiss and backed away from Lucas._

_Lucas sighs, "I'm sorry…I, I just don't know what's going on Brooke." He takes a seat on the bed. "Ever since the attack she's been distant from me. I don't know what to do anymore." Lucas admits._

_Brooke scoffs, "Yeah, well making moves on me isn't going to help Luke." She tells him._

_She takes a seat next to him on the bed. "Do you still love her?" she dares to ask him._

"_Ugh, I don't know. I want to. I want to love her. I feel like I'll always have feelings for her. I mean, we've gone through so much to finally get here and…" _

"…_and you're going to blow it all to hell if she ever finds out you kissed me." She finishes for him._

"_Yeah." He simply says._

"_Look, she's going through some things right now. I'm not going to tell her if you don't want me to. But I really think _you_ should." Brooke informs him, and stands up to leave._

_Luke says nothing. He looks up to Brooke as if he's looking for guidance._

"_Okay." She says walking back over to him. "I can't tell you how to be with her, but I know that she loves you. And I know you love her. You just have a tendency to hide your heart." She tells him. "Sooo… Stop hiding it and get your ass into gear! I'm serious Luke. Don't break her heart." She warms him before she leaves the room._

-

That was five years ago. A lot has changed since then. Brooke and Haley sit outside on Peyton's porch, and wonder how all of this went so wrong. They love their friends, they really do but they've done one hell of a job messing things up this time. One too many misunderstandings got them into a lot of trouble. Not only are their hearts at stake but there is an innocent little girl in the middle of all of this. Lucas loves Peyton, Peyton loves Nathan, and Nathan loves himself. Great.

Brooke laughs bitterly and throws her head back. "Look at the mess you got us into Blondie."

"Brooke, we can't put the blame on Peyton. It's not her fault." Haley laughs.

"I know Hales. It's just, she still loves him and the worst part is that it's like he doesn't even care... Ya know?" she says to the petite brunette.

Haley glances over at Brooke, "He's here." Brooke looks at her to continue on. " Nathan. In Tree Hill. I called him yesterday, and he's missing his big game. So, be on high alert." She finishes.

Brooke sighs, "Thanks. I just don't know how to protect her anymore."

"Maybe this time you won't have to." Haley suggests.

"I don't know Hales. You didn't see the look in his eyes five years ago when I went to go see him." Brooke said.

Haley shot up. "Hold on! You went to go see him?" she asked astonished at Brookes revelation.

"Yeah. It was right after Peyton had the baby. I knew she wasn't going to call him again after he denied being the father, so I flew out to North Carolina." Brooke admitted.

-

_There was a knock on the door. At three in the morning there was a knock on his door. This better be something damn important to be waking him up at this hour._

"_Brooke." was all he could muster._

"_Hey there Hot Shot. How's it going?" she asks nonchalantly._

_Nathan sighs, "Brooke you do know it's three in the morning. What are you doing here?" _

"_Yeah, I know. But the better question is what are you doing here?" she hisses out._

"_I don't know what you're talking about Brooke." He says as he walks past her grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge._

"_Don't play dumb with me Nathan Scott. You know exactly what I'm talking about." She says angrily._

_Nathan throws his hands up in defeat. He knows there is no way around the wrath of Brooke Davis._

"_I don't know what you want me to say." He yells._

_That's all it takes for Brooke to snap. She storms over to him a slaps him right across the face._

"_How dare you! You knew and yet you decided…you decided to, to what, you decided that you didn't want to be a father? Sorry, but it doesn't work that way." She yells at him. She has so much rage pent up in her she is crying._

"_You have a daughter. Her name is Sawyer, Sawyer Brooke Scott and she is beautiful." She tells him as she throws a picture of his newborn daughter at him._

_He grabs the picture before it hits the floor and stares at it. And the realization hits him. This is his baby. His child with Peyton; and he wasn't there. He's an ass. And he knows it._

"_She's gonna be a knock out one day." She says as she looks at him with hatred in her eyes. "Stay away from Peyton; she doesn't need your pity or your help. She has me." She turns on her heel to leave._

'_Nice work Dan." She says before she slams the door in his face._

_

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**Thank you so much for your reviews. You guys are great.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters. Thank you all so much for your reviews; very encouraging! They inspire me to keep going. So thank you.

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There is a knock on his door. It's three in the morning. He's feeling a slight case of déjà vu. And he doesn't like it. He gets up out of his bed and goes to the door.

"Haley." Is all he can muster.

"You're an asshole you know that!" she screams as she storms into his house.

"Hello. Yes Hales, I'm doing fine. Sure you can come in." he sarcastically states ignoring her completely.

She laughs sardonically. "Ha, you know for someone who never wanted to be like Dan, you're doing a hell of a job doing exactly the same thing he did to Lucas. You remember him, your brother."

"Haley, look its three in the morning and I have no idea what the hell you are talking about." He finally tells her.

"Your daughter Nathan! Your daughter! You knew and you chose to deny it." She yells out.

"Wait. _You_ knew?" he asks her extremely confused by her statement.

"Peyton told me about the pregnancy before she left for California. So yeah, I knew. But what I didn't know was that she told you she was pregnant…and that the baby was yours..." She continues to tell him.

Nathan sighs, of course she knew. He knew this was coming. "Haley, when she told me…"

She cuts him off not even wanting to hear what he has to say. "..No Nathan, no you don't get to defend yourself. There is nothing you can say that will make what you did Okay. And to believe that Brooke actually flew out to North Carolina after Sawyer was born to talk to you. I mean really Nathan, did Peyton mean that little to you? She loved you, and I know that you loved her" she takes a breath "...She almost died... Peyton." She lets out a bitter laugh and she watches his face fall. "Bet you didn't know that one." She throws her hands up and they fall to her thighs. "Oh that's right, because you never called." She finally finishes. She moves to the couch to catch her breath and gain her composure.

Nathan had no idea Peyton almost died. Brooke must have left that part out. And now Haley is ripping him a new asshole for the way he has acted. He can't really say that he blames her. He deserves everything that comes to him, but he really doesn't want to deal with this shit at three thirty in the morning. He knows tomorrow when he goes to see Whitey; he is probably going to have something to say to him too, and he's really not looking forward to that.

He looks at Haley who is sitting on his couch with her head in her hands.

"I just don't know how things got so messed up." She says finally looking up at him.

"Humm. I think I have a clue." He says under his breath.

"Look, Nate. I'm sorry I came here so late and started screaming at you. You didn't deserve it." She says to him.

He laughs. A genuine laugh, because Haley has such a forgiving soul. "Hales, I deserved every bit of that. And you don't have to be sorry; I do. I've been a really shitty person lately and I'm not proud of the things that I've done." He confesses to her.

Her brown eyes try to read him. She needs to know if he is being sincere. Brooke needs as much help as she can get; they can't let Peyton get hurt again.

"Nathan, she loves you. And no matter what Brooke may have said; they need you. Sawyer needs her father. And Peyton needs the Nathan that she fell in love with. Not the one who abandoned her when she needed him the most." She tearfully tells him.

Nathan throws his head back and takes a deep breath. "You know it was because of Dan." He says to her flatly. She blinks back her tears, trying to decipher exactly what he just said.

"I told Dan about Peyton and the pregnancy. He told me that Duke needed me and that the NBA needed me." He looks down shaking his head. "He told me I was destined for greater things then becoming a father at eighteen... And then he told me that the baby was probably Lucas' anyway." He scoffs. Thinking back on in now Dan really screwed him over.

Haley stares at him wide eyed before she says anything. "Wow. I mean…wow. God he is _such_ an ass!" Haley states.

"Yeah, I haven't told anyone that." Nathan confesses to her.

Haley moves closer to him on the couch grabbing his hands. "Nathan you have got to make things right with her. What you did was wrong, but you're a different person now. She is too, remember that." She informs him.

Haley gets up to leave, she's been here long enough and they are all on duty at the hospital tomorrow.

She has her hand on the door ready to leave, but there is something she needs to get off of her chest first. She turns around to Nathan and says.

"He doesn't know who her father is."

He gives her a confused look.

"Luke." She clarifies. "He has no clue; he actually asked Peyton if Sawyer was his." She shakes her head. Her heart breaking for her best friend. "So just don't say anything to him Okay?" she takes a few more steps, and pauses. "Oh, and he still loves her too ya know. Just figured I'd tell you."

"Why? Why are you telling me this?" he asks her.

"Because he's your brother. And you two have it bad for Peyton Sawyer. But I think we all know now that you're back in town he doesn't stand a chance with her. Go easy on him. Please?" she finally asks.

"I won't say anything to him about Sawyer when I see him." He reassures her.

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight." She says as she leaves.

"Yeah. Night." He says into the darkness.

-

It was time that he went to see Whitey. Haley called him here for a reason; and the time was now. He was dreading this. He was going to visit his coach; this was a final goodbye. He was never good at these things; goodbyes. They suck, but who knew that his day was about to get even worse. Nathan rounded the corner to enter Whitey's room when he noticed a head full of blonde curls sitting in a chair facing his dying coach; and a small girl on the foot of his bed…It was her. This precious life that he helped create. There she was; his daughter. Sawyer Brooke Scott. They were right there in front of him; the two girls that he abandoned five years ago, and he was scared shit less. He went to turn around and leave but Whitey caught him in the corner of his eye and had a different plan.

"Scott!" he yelled. "Why don't you come on in and say hello." he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Shit. It's happening. The day she has been dreading since she gave birth to her daughter. Peyton's heart was in her stomach. He was here, in the same room and the walls felt like they were closing in on her. She couldn't be here. This couldn't be happening. Not now; not here, in front of Sawyer and not in front of Whitey.

Sawyer turned around to face the new person in the room. Her small frame moving on the bed. Blue met green; and Nathan was sure he fell in love. He was looking into the same large, curious green eyes that he was all too familiar with; and Brooke was right; she _is_ beautiful.

He always dreamt about her. What she looks like; whose personality does she have; whose eyes does she have? And now he was face to face with her. She was everything he could have imagined and more; she looked like Peyton, except her hair, Sawyer had long brown curls, and she was stunning. It all became reality. He was a father, and his little girl is inches away from him. He wanted to go back to that dreadful day when Peyton told him she was pregnant and take it back. All of it; he wants to change what he had done, take back the words that he said. He wants to be the father he always knew he could be.

Sawyer broke eye contact with him and turned to face her mother. But she wasn't looking back, Peyton's eyes were staring intently at her feet, only looking up when she hear his voice.

Both girls spun their heads to him. Their eyes meeting his gaze.

"Sawyer." Was all he said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters. I would like to thank everyone who had reviewed so far. You guys are amazingly encouraging!  


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She's nervous, so she's biting her thumb. "Hales, I'm not sure we should have let her go..." Brooke says as she paces the floor in Haley's apartment. The apartment hasn't changed on bit since high school; the people in it sure have. And Brooke doesn't know how Haley can be sitting down so calm at a time like this.

Haley huffs, "Brooke she's going to be fine. And you know as well as I do if she doesn't come face to face with him now, she is going to avoid him for as long as she can." She pauses. "Besides…this was your idea." she finishes.

Haley called Brooke last night and told her that Nathan was going to the hospital tomorrow morning around ten. A light bulb went off in Brooke's head; she thought it was a great idea to send Peyton to visit Whitey at around nine thirty. In Brooke's mind this is the perfect time for Peyton and Nathan to come face to face. Or so she thought.

"I know, I know. I'm just… I'm thinking back on it now and it's a pretty dumb idea." She stops. "I mean what kind of friends are we? Who sends their friend into the mouth of the lion, or is it the eye of the tiger?" Brooke asks pacing back and forth yet again.

"What? Okay, Brooke so not the point. And you need to _sit down_; you are making me dizzy!" Haley points out.

"Are you sure he's even going to show? Guys are never on time. Right? Maybe she left and missed him completely… Oh my God, she took Sawyer! He's gonna _see_ Sawyer… What if he makes her cry? Peyton hates it when she cries." Haley rolls her eyes as Brooke continues to ramble. Now she's just pulling things out of her ass. "Haley I gotta go to the hospital and see if she's Okay. What if she needs me? Yeah. Um hum. She probably needs me." Brooke finished as she stops pacing and picks up her coat.

Haley sees this and jumps up grabbing the coat out of her hands.

'No, no, no, no! You, my friend are not going anywhere." She says and she ushers Brooke to the couch to sit down.

"Calm down Brooke. Peyton's a big girl. She'll be fine. Besides, Whitey's there, Nathan won't make a scene with Whitey there." Haley reassures Brooke.

"Yeah." She takes a deep breath. "Your right, I'm just overreacting. She's gonna be fine." Brooke looks at Haley. "It's just it scares me ya know? We don't know how he's gonna react in front of Sawyer. And we're not there to…"

Haley cuts her off, "…to protect her. I know. But I think that it's time for Peyton to start fighting her own battles." She approaches this slowly. "It's always been you protecting her. But Nathan is a changed man and I think that finally seeing his daughter is going to open his eyes and make him realize everything he's been missing out on." Haley finishes.

Brooke stares at her; not sure if she fully agrees with Haley. Haley closes her eyes and takes a breath.

"Okay. I have a confession." Haley says, opening her eyes. "Last night after our conversation…I kind of went over to Nathans." She bit her bottom lip waiting for a response.

Brooke raises an eyebrow, "And did what Traitor Girl?"

"Hey, don't. Don't call me that. I just…I couldn't believe that Nathan could be so…so cold hearted towards Peyton. He loved her Brooke…I don't know what I was thinking... I just... I sort of went to his house and yelled at him." Haley confesses.

Brooke's lips form into a smile. "That's my girl. I knew you had our backs."

"It was Dan." She says quietly. "Brooke, you cannot tell him I told you this. Peyton either." She stops, and takes a breath. "Nathan told Dan about Peyton's pregnancy. And Dan told him basketball was more important. He was a scared boy asking his father for advice and Dan took advantage of that." Haley tells Brooke.

Speechless, Brooke was speechless. She knew Dan Scott was an evil man, but taking advantage of your vulnerable child is a whole different level of evil.

"Wow, I never…I mean, I…He never told me that." Brooke stammered out.

"Brooke you never gave him a chance to." Brooke sent her a glare and Haley clarified. "And believe me I didn't want to hear his excuses either, but he just blurted it out." Haley said turning to look at Brooke. "What was I supposed to do?"

"That still doesn't make it right." Brooke said stubbornly.

"Oh believe me I know." She states, "But I saw it in his eyes. He's in love with her. He always has been." Haley says, pausing trying to think of the right words. "Maybe, maybe this time he'll save her…he'll protect her. She needs him Brooke. They need him."

Brooke looks at her with tears forming in her eyes. "What if they don't need me anymore? What if Nathan and Peyton and Sawyer all live happily ever after and forget about me?" She asks. She knows she's being immature, but she doesn't care. The last five years it's just been her, Peyton and Sawyer. Now that Nathan is in town and is probably going to make amends with Peyton, she feels threatened.

Haley turns to her sharply and says, "Hey, look at me. She is _always_ going to need you. You have been there for her more times than any of us can count. And even if she and Nathan live happily ever after, you are always going to be in Sawyer's life. Peyton would never cut you out…you know that." Brooke leans her head on Haley's shoulder. "They love you Brooke." Haley soothing rubs circles on Brookes arm.

Brooke wipes her eyes. "I know. This all just happened so fast. I mean…Who knew Nathan Scott was still a good guy? …he is still a good guy right?" she asks Haley wearily.

Haley chuckles. "Yeah Brooke, he's still a good guy."

-

"Sawyer." Was all he said.

Both girls whipped their head around to meet his icy blue eyes. Peyton's green orbs are shooting daggers at him and Sawyer's held a look of confusion. All he wants to do is shrink into a hole and never come out. He feels like shit.

He looks good. Older, broader. Thanks to years of basketball his arms are bigger, his face more manly then she remembers. She wants to scream. She hates him, God, does she hate him but looking into his blue eyes, she can't deny it; she loves him more then she'll let on.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Whitey yells. "Come in and give an old man a hug…Hot Shot!"

Nathan breaks out of his trance and walks over to Whitey. "Hey coach. How ya been?" he asks.

"I've been better Scott. I've been better." He replies to Nathan.

This is awkward. Everyone in the room can sense it. So Whitey speaks up first.

"So, Miss Sawyer, don't you have something to say to Mr. Scott?" Whitey not-so-subtlety asks.

Peyton glares at him. And he chuckles. Nathan throws his head back and sighs.

"No." she says looking away from them. "I'm pretty sure I've said all there is to say." Tears start forming in her eyes.

Sawyer notices her mother's tears and becomes worried.

"Momma, why are you crying?" the small girl asks. And when she speaks Nathan's heart breaks.

He's been missing out on this for five years.

Peyton wipes her eyes and looks at her daughter. She smiles faintly, "I'm not baby." She looks at Whitey. "Can you watch her for a sec?....I can't be here." She says quietly and rushes out of the room.

"Peyton! Wait." Nathan says as he chases after her.

She's running again. It seems like that's all she does is run; away from her problems and doesn't deal with them. Clearly this hasn't been working for her. Look where she's landed. She ran when she saw Lucas and Brooke kissing….that got her pregnant. She ran when Nathan denied Sawyer…that brings her here…dreading what is coming next.

"Hey! Sawyer…" he says as he finally catches up to her.

She whips around, "What!" she shouts, "What do you want from me Nathan?"

He doesn't know what to do. The last time she was this upset he helped comfort her and they wound up confessing their love for each other and sleeping together.

"Talk to me." He says.

"Talk…talk to you." She laughs sardonically. "Okay I'll talk…let's talk!"

He says nothing, she has her hands on her hips and she's pissed.

"Well? Say something Nate. Anything." She yells.

"I'm sorry." He says stupidly.

She laughs a humorless laugh. "Great. You're sorry. Well, your about five years too late with that one."

Nathan bows his head, she's right. He is late. But he means it. He's sorry. For everything.

"I know." He sighs. "She's beautiful Peyton. We did good." He smirks, trying to lighten the mood.

"No! _We_ did nothing. _I_ did good, _Brooke_ did good. Not you." She yells as she shakes her head. "You have no right to say _any_thing about _my _daughter."

"_Our_, daughter Peyton." He corrects her.

"No, she's _my_ daughter. You lost the title of being her father when you denied her." She quips back.

She's all curls and venom; and he loves it. He loves her. So he chuckles, he knows it's stupid but he kinda loves when she yells at him.

"What are you laughing at?!" she yells. "This isn't funny!" she furious.

"I know, I know….it's just…your beautiful." He says staring at her.

"Don't! Don't do that. I don't need your pity Nathan." She says as she turns to leave.

He grabs her arm, and pulls her in close.

They are inches away from kissing. She hates to admit it, but she misses him. And she'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't want him to kiss her.

And he does, he kisses her, and he see's fireworks. It's been long, far too long since he's kissed her and all he wants to do is keep kissing her.

But she breaks the kiss; way too soon if you ask Nathan; and slaps him hard across the cheek.

"How dare you!...Stay away from me, and stay away from her." She leaves; heading into Whitey's room to get her daughter.

-

She gets home as fact as she can. How could he? He had some nerve to kiss her. Things are far from Okay, and he thinks that he could erase everything with one kiss. Her heart was racing, and her mind was spinning. She couldn't deal with this right now.

Brooke heard the tires screech outside of the house. Peyton was home. She jumped off the couch and ran outside. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Shit." She says and runs over to the girls.

Peyton grabs Sawyer from the car and places her on the grass. Sawyer sees Brooke and rushes over to her.

"I saw him Brooke! At the hospital…he's here." Peyton exclaims.

"…Oh Peyton." She says as she bit her lip.

"And he kissed me! Can you believe it! I mean really?!" says Peyton.

Brooke looks at Sawyer for confirmation. She shrugs her shoulders.

"P, let's go inside Okay? And we can talk about this." Brooke suggests.

"I can't." Peyton shakes her head. "Can you watch her for a few hours?"

Brooke nods her head. "Of course. Take your time, we'll be here."

"Thanks." She says as she turns around and walks off.

-

The River Court. She would end up here. It's not like she wanted to, it's just where her feet led her. She walks silently along the asphalt. She hasn't been here in years. It seems like she is going around in circles. Memories come flooding back to her.

She remembers what Nathan told her at the Boy Toy Auction.

"_I guess I'll always have feelings for you Peyton."_

And Lucas, when he beat Nathan in their one on one game.

"_I'll be seeing you."_

It's too much for her she falls to her knees in the middle of the court and cries. She doesn't even hear the sound of a basketball as it thumps against the pavement.

"Peyton?" the voice questions.

She looks up and she's staring.

Lucas is here. This is the last thing she needs.

"Peyton?" he questions again, he jogs over to where she is sitting and kneels down next to her. "Hey, is everything Okay? Is it Whitey?" he asks her.

"No, no." she reassures him. "It's not Whitey." She looks up and inhales deeply. "Ugh. I shouldn't even be telling you this."

Lucas squints at her and tilts his head to the side, urging her to continue.

"I saw Sawyers father." She tells him. "For the first time in years."

"Oh. Peyton, come here." He says sympathetically as she leans into his side.

"It's just…UGH!" she cries. "I shouldn't even feel this way anymore."

"It's Okay Peyt. Everything is going to be Okay." He whispers as she rubs circles on her shoulder soothingly.

"It's not!" she yells as she stands up. "It's not Okay….Nothing is Okay."

Lucas stands up too, and he faces her. He grabs her arms so she is facing him too.

"Hey, I'm here for you if you need me…For Sawyer too." He tells her with force.

Peyton is blinking back tears. "I know. But you really don't have to be. I don't need you to save me anymore." She retorts back.

"Somebody's got to." He says to her, just as he did so many years ago.

She can't do this. She can't be here; she can't listen to Lucas' declaration of love for her. She's going to break his heart; and she's dreading it. She is in love with his brother…and his brother is the father of her daughter. Great.

"Luke…" she sighs, because she knows what's coming next.

"I love you." He blurts out.

"You can't!" she yells, she throws her head back and walks in a circle. "You can't!"

"Why not? Peyton I've loved you since the moment that we locked eyes." He tells her passionately.

"I'm not that girl anymore Luke." She says to him. She can't even look him in the eyes.

"Peyton… what happened to us? Why did you leave….without a word….I..without a phone call?" he asks her.

"I had to. Luke too many things happened between us…and I … we can't take them back. It's not fair to you." She says.

He cocks an eyebrow. "What's not fair to me?" he pries. "Peyton I'm in love with you. I've waited for you to come back to me."

"Yeah well, you shouldn't have." She angrily says. "I'm not in love with you anymore Luke. We're done. We've been done…and I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry" she tells him.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that." He yells. "Look me in the eye!"

"Luke…please. Don't…" she begs.

"Peyt…" his voice breaks. And so does her heart. She has to do. She has to tell him.

She looks him straight in the eye. "I don't love you."

And she walks away without another word. Leaving him there alone to soak in what she just said.

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**Read & Review =)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

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**

Lucas was sitting in his kitchen; his mind still reeling from his confrontation with Peyton. He thought that they were meant to be, True Love Always, that it was going to be them forever. He never thought Peyton would fall out of love with him. He relied on her to always be there for him. Maybe it was wrong of him, but he didn't care, he wanted to be selfish with her. She was his Peyton; his angel. One day Peyton Sawyer would become Peyton Scott.

Nathan came in through Luke's kitchen door in a fury. He couldn't believe he could have been so stupid. He kissed her. Before he even started to make any progress he had to go and fuck it up. He notices Lucas sitting at the table with his head down and his eyes glued to his hands.

"Yo Luke, what's up?" he asks as he takes a seat across from him,.

"Nothing, It's just….Did you know that Peyton was pregnant when we graduated?" he asked.

Nathan swallowed hard, but didn't say anything.

"She has a daughter." Luke smiled. "She's beautiful too."

Nathan smiled; because his daughter was beautiful. Too bad Luke had no clue he was talking about his own niece.

"About that…Luke…" Nathan starts; maybe this was the time to come clean.

"I saw her today. Peyton." Lucas sighs. "At the River Court, she was upset and I told her that I would always be there to save her." Lucas cocks his head to the side but his eyes never leave his hands. "…And then she told me she doesn't love me anymore."

"Luke, man…I…" he says.

"She loves him….Sawyer's father" he clarifies. "…whoever he is. He's a lucky guy." Luke says.

Nathan feels like shit. Lucas really has no clue. Only in Tree Hill.

"Yeah. He's a lucky guy." Nathan says under his breath.

"So what brings you by Nate?" Lucas asks looking at his brother.

"Nothing, I just came by to tell you that I saw Whitey today. I talked to him after I saw Peyton. He's not looking too good man." He tells Luke.

Luke gives him a squint. "You saw Peyton today?" He asks his brother.

"Yeah at the hospital. I probably pissed her off though." He says as his phone rings. "Look bro, I gotta take this, but uh…I'll see you later." He says as he exits the house.

And then it hits him like a ton of bricks. Everything is starting to fall into place. Nathan saw Peyton at the hospital, and if he heard him correctly; he pissed her off. Luke saw Peyton at the River Court clearly upset about her run in with Sawyers father. This can't be real. If he is putting the pieces of this messed up puzzle in the right places then he has his answer.

-

Nathan leaves Luke's house to answer his phone; he looks at the screen.** 'Brooke'**

He slides it open. "Hello?"

"Nathan?" she asks.

"Yeah Brooke. What do you want?... I'm really not in the mood to fight, so if you're gonna yell at me call me tomorrow." He angrily says.

"Meet me at the high school in ten minutes." She says before hanging up the phone.

-

She gets there before he does. And she brought Sawyer with her. She knows that she shouldn't be doing this, but she feels like she's left with no choice.

Nathan struts over to Brooke, he stops when he sees Sawyer sitting at the picnic table next to her.

"Brooke, if this is some kind of a joke…" he starts.

"No. It's not a joke." She says as she walks over to him.

He's taken back when she leans in a gives him a hug.

"I'm sorry Nate." She tells him. "This isn't how things are supposed to be."

He scoffs. "Yeah your telling me." He takes a good look at Brooke. "I think I'm the one that should be sorry."

"Yeah. I know." She waves her hand dismissing his comment. "But it's water over the bridge…or under the bridge… You know what I'm saying." They both laugh.

Brooke breaks the silence. "So…you kissed her huh? Are you really that stupid?" she asks him.

He throws his head back. "I know! It's just… I don't know Brooke. She was yelling and it was sexy and I just grabbed her…and kissed her."

Brooke laughs at him. "Okay, real smooth Romeo."

At this Nathan smiles.

"I thought his name was Nate." Sawyer states.

They both look over at her; almost forgetting that she was there with them.

"Oh, sweetie. It is. His name is Nathan. You know how sometimes I call you Baby Brooke, but your name is actually Sawyer?" Brooke tries to explain.

"Ohhh. Is that why he called Momma Sawyer?" the little girl asked. "I don't think she like that…she started to cry." She says to Brooke and Nathan.

"I'm sorry." Nathan says dumbly.

Brooke sends him a glare. "I think that line is getting a little old don't you think?"

She returns her attention to Sawyer. "Yeah baby, it's kinda like that."

"Brooke I think I should go…Peyton would kill us if she…"

"…found out about this. I know. I just…I don't know…." She sighs. "This is your daughter" she whispers. "She's your daughter."

"I love her Brooke. But I really think I fucked up this time." He says.

Sawyer gasps and covers her mouth with her hands wide eyed. Brooke spins around and slaps his arm.

"Mouth! Watch your mouth! No cursing. Now you owe her five dollars." She scolds him.

"Ow! What? Five bucks?" he asks.

Sawyer nods her head knowing the rules are not to curse around her and if someone does she gets five bucks.

Nathan pulls out his wallet and hands her a fifty.

"Don't say I never gave you anything." He says to her and he turns and walks away.

-

Peyton enters her house and notices that everything is quiet. When you have a four year old running around things are never quiet.

"Brooke? Sawyer? I'm home." She says as she walks around the empty house. "Is anyone here?"

She walks into her kitchen and looks at the table there is a note on it.

_P. Sawyer, _

_Took Baby Brooke out for a bit to get some fresh air. _

_Hope you cleared you mind. We're thinking of you. _

_Love Always, You're Brookes._

Peyton had to laugh, leave it to Brooke to do something like that. She was thankful though. The last thing she needed was her daughter asking her a million questions about what happened this morning; especially after her confrontation with Lucas. She hated herself for doing that, she hated that she broke his heart because she knows what it feels like to be heartbroken and it sucks. But it was true; she wasn't in love with him anymore. In fact she hasn't been since the night she saw him and Brooke kiss.

She can't believe that after all of that this is where they landed.

-

_Brooke tried to catch up with Peyton all day, but her attempts have been futile. _

"_Hey! Peyton, wait up!" she yelled across the hallway. Finally catching up with her._

"_Wait up for what Brooke? Wait for you to stop kissing my boyfriend. Yeah that's real classy." Peyton said angrily._

"_What are you even talking about?" Brooke asked clearly confused by this._

"_I'm talking about you kissing Lucas at that party last night. God, and I thought you were my best friend!" she yelled._

_It dawns on her; Peyton saw the kiss. "Peyton, wait let me explain…what you saw was nothing. I swear!" Brooke tries to explain._

"_You know what I don't even care. We're done Brooke. I'm done trying with you. This friendship is over." She says._

"_Peyton…please…let me just…" she starts._

_Lucas walks up to them and gives Peyton a kiss on the temple._

"_And so are we." She tells him._

_He laughs, no knowing what's going on. "We are what?" he asks_

"_Over. Done with." She says to Lucas. She turns to Brooke and says "He's all yours now Brooke. Knock yourself out." As she storms off down the hallway._

_Lucas stands there dumbfounded by what just happened._

"_Great job Broody, now we both just lost her." Brooke says tartly and she too storms off down the hallway, leaving Lucas all alone._

-

Haley got the phone call at a quarter past one. His heart stopped. He died peacefully in his sleep. They knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but it still hurts all the same. She called Lucas, Nathan and Brooke, she told them exactly what the nurses told her. There was nothing they could do. All they could do now was plan a funeral for a man who was like a father to them.

They didn't care how late it was; they were hurting, and they needed to hurt together. Haley got there first, still dressed in her pajamas, messy hair and tearstained face, Nathan showed up next not making eye contact with Luke or Haley. Peyton and Brooke came to Luke's house twenty minutes later, but with coffee and a sleeping Sawyer.

Brooke walked in first with tears in her eyes and five hot coffees in her hands.

"I brought coffee." She shrugs. "I figured we could use it tonight." She says putting the coffees on the table.

Haley sighs and wipes the tears from her eyes. "Thanks Brooke. You didn't need to do that."

Brooke walks over and wraps her arms around the smaller brunette. "Yeah, but I wanted to."

"Hey Brooke can you grab Sawyers bag?" Peyton asks as she enters the house with her sleeping daughter.

Nathan and Lucas both look up at her. It may be almost two in the morning but she still manages to look beautiful.

"Do you need any help?"

"Can I get something?"

Both men asked at the same time. Peyton said nothing.

Nathan gets up and grabs Sawyer from her hands.

"Let me take her. I'll put her in the spare bedroom."

Peyton blushes and mumbles a "Thanks." As she takes the bag from Brooke and follows Nathan down the hallway.

This doesn't go unnoticed by Lucas.

"They really called huh?" Brooke asks, still not believing that Whitey is gone.

"Yeah. They um... they called me; I was his next of kin." Haley breaths out.

"I can't believe it." Lucas says.

Brooke sniffles, "It doesn't seem real."

Nathan gently laid Sawyer onto Karen's bed and drew the covers up to her shoulders. He lightly kisses her forehead. Peyton smiles as she watches him do this. She closes her eyes and for a minute, forgets about the world around her and pretends that this is her life. Her and Nathan, tucking the daughter into bed happily, as if nothing else around them matters. But she knows that's not their situation. She's still pissed and bitter over everything that has happened. Now is not the time to start fighting and she knows it.

"Thanks." Peyton says from the doorway.

Nathan turns around and faces her. He puts his hands in his pocket and shrugs his shoulders.

"It's no problem. I mean she is my daughter." He says.

"Look, can we not do this tonight." Peyton asks walking away from the doorway.

"Do what Peyton? Talk?" he asks back as he follows her into the hallway.

"This. Whatever _this_ is." She says motioning the space between them, tears building up in her green eyes.

"Peyton…" he says moving towards her and taking her in his arms.

She breaks down. It's all hitting her at once. Whitey is gone, Nathan is a good guy, and Lucas is heartbroken. It's too much for her to take.

"He's gone Nate. He's really gone." She cries into his chest, her hands curls up into fists.

"Yeah. He is Peyt." He says rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. People always leave." She sniffles.

He lifts her chin up with his pointer finger and looks her in the eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." He tells her seriously.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Nathan." She says as she moves her head from his touch.

"Look at me…. I'm not going anywhere." He tells her again.

She sucks in a breath. What is she thinking?

"You wanna get outta here for a bit?" she asks him.

"Say the word and we'll go." He tells her.

"Leave with me now." She begs him. "Just for an hour."

"Anything for you." He leans down and kisses her and this time, she kisses him back.

They break apart and see Lucas staring right at them.

He scoffs and walks away.

"Lucas....wait...." Peyton says walking after him, but it's too late they hear the front door slam shut and Haley and Brooke looking confused as ever.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I love when I get reviews; it's the best feeling ever! You guys really make my day. =) I love hearing what you guys have to say, it definitely helps me write…I also enjoy hearing what you guys want to read, so keep the reviews coming. Stay amazing.

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**

He wants so badly to go to the River Court and clear his mind. But he'll be found, that's the first place they'll look; and he doesn't want to be found. So he goes to his mother's closed down café. He sulks up to the roof where he and Haley used to play mini golf and throw balloons filled with milk at people who were walking on the sidewalk. Those were the days.

But now he sits here, alone, and wonders how he let things go this far. How did he let Peyton slip between his fingers? When did things get so bad? How didn't he notice any of it?

Luke looks down at his vibrating phone. It's Peyton, he wants to answer it but he knows why she's calling him.… So he doesn't, instead he throws it, right into the brick wall where he and Haley keep all their old predictions. He can't believe he was stupid enough to predict that Peyton Sawyer would become Peyton Scott. He's such a fool.

-

"Did he pick up?" Haley asked pacing the floor frantically.

"No. It went right to voice mail." Peyton sighs.

"Great. It's two in the morning and Broody is missing." Brooke says with her hand on her hip.

"Brooke. Not now." Nathan warns her.

"What even happened? I mean we were fine…..well, not really fine but dealing and then he flies outta here without a word." Brooke asks her hand pointing towards the door.

Nathan and Peyton quickly glance at each other. Neither of them saying a word.

"What did you say?" Haley asks, starting to fear the worst.

"We didn't say anything." Nathan tells her, trying to defend himself.

"Peyton. What happened?" Haley continues to asks, now looking at her blond friend.

Peyton looks down and Nathan looks at the wall.

"Oh my God. Something happened between the two of you….Don't lie to me P. Sawyer. Lie to Haley all you want, but not to me." Brooke says looking directly at Peyton.

"It was nothing, Nathan and I were just talking and Lucas…." She starts

"Lucas what?" Haley asks, and then it hits her. Her eyes go wide with realization. "He knows….Shit." she says under her breath.

"Come again Tutor Girl, we missed that." Brooke pries.

"He knows Brooke. He knows." She says with force this time.

"Knows what?...Ohhh." Brooke says as it dawns on her.

"Everything. God you two just couldn't keep your mouths shut for five minutes could you?" Haley asks, looking at Peyton and Nathan, her concern for her best friend only growing.

"Haley, we didn't say shit to him. Alright, he saw us kiss." Nathan says, defend himself and Peyton.

For that she was thankful; she didn't want to be the one to tell her friends they were kissing and oops, Lucas saw them.

"Damn! Nice work Hot Shot!" Brooke says winking at Nathan.

"Yeah, nice work Hot Shot." She says sarcastically. "Now your brother is missing, and he's mourning, and he's probably brooding. And we need to go find him." Haley finishes.

"Uh, Sawyer is sleeping; so I think I'll just stay here." Peyton says perhaps a little too quickly.

"Yeah, that's probably the best idea. Um…Brooke you go check the River Court. I'll check Tric. And Nathan you could check…" Haley starts.

"I was thinking I would stay here with Peyton." He looks at Haley hopefully.

Haley sighs. "Fine. Stay here. It's probably best anyway."

Brooke and Haley leave to see if they can find Lucas, leaving Nathan and Peyton alone.

They are silent. Neither of them knowing what to say. Peyton finally speaks up.

"Did you mean it?"

He cocks his eyebrow, unsure of what she's talking about.

"When you said you'd leave with me. Did you mean it?' She asks again.

He didn't even have to answer. A look of hurt flashed across his eyes, she was doubting him. In the past he gave her plenty of reason to doubt him, but not anymore. Their dirty laundry was being aired, everything is out in the open now, and he is going to make things right with her.

"I'm sorry." She says to him. "I shouldn't have put you in that position…to lie and hide things from Lucas."

He shakes his head; he doesn't care, he loves her and he's not going to hide that.

"You know when you told me you were pregnant my heart skipped a beat, and for a second I was the happiest guy alive." He confesses to her.

She looks at him shocked, not saying one word.

"But I got scared… I had just gotten that full ride to Duke…So I talked to Dan." He continues.

"You told Dan?!" Peyton yells as she throws her hands in the air.

"Peyton. Just listen to me." Nathan sighs. "I didn't know what to do so I asked my dad….He really dicked us over huh?"

"Look, I freaked. He had me so convinced that I was destined to be this big NBA star and that having a kid would ruin it for me….so I just bailed." He says with a groan.

She sits at the table across from him shocked.

He pulls out the picture of Sawyer that Brooke gave him after she was born.

"I've kept this with me every day to remind me of the mistakes I've made." He says as he hands her the picture.

"How did you get this?" she asks, not sure if she wants to hear the answer or not.

"Brooke." He says shrugging his shoulders. "She came out here after you had Sawyer. Yelled at me, told me what a bad person I was and then threw me a picture of my newborn daughter….Sawyer Brooke Scott." He says recalling that night perfectly.

"She…she came here?" she questions him with tears in her green eyes.

"Yeah. She wasn't here long…She cares about you Peyton. She's an amazing friend." Nathan tells her.

Peyton wipes the stray tears away. "Yeah, she is."

-

_It's been a month since she broke up with Lucas and ended her friendship with Brooke. She's dealing as best she could, but she misses her best friend, and now she has Nathan. Ever since the two of them shared that night together they became better friends. Peyton's break-up from Lucas was still fresh in her mind, Nathan never pushed anything. _

_Peyton woke up for school and ran to the bathroom. She was nauseous, she hasn't thrown up like this since she was 16 and that was because she and Brooke were mixing drinks at a stupid party. She started to fear the worst. Was she late? No, she was never late….was she?_

_She picked up her phone and called the one person she could rely on for anything. _

"_Hey can you meet me at the drugstore in ten minutes?" she asked the mystery person and left her house._

_Ten minutes later she walked up to the drugstore and saw her small friend._

"_Hey Peyton." Haley said as she slung her arm around Peyton's shoulder. "This better be a good reason for cutting school on a Tuesday." She said with a smile._

_But Peyton didn't smile back. Haley noticed and became concerned._

"_Hey, are you alright?" Haley asked putting a gentle hand on her arm._

"_I don't know yet." Peyton said with an uneasy chuckle._

_Peyton went straight to the 'Family Planning' isle and Haley gasped._

"_You're pregnant?" she asked in a loud whisper._

"_Haley I don't know otherwise I wouldn't be here would I?" Peyton responded sarcastically._

_Peyton grabbed a box and sighed._

"_Okay let's pay and go." Haley said._

_Once they were back at Peyton's house the panic started to set in._

"_Oh my God…what if you are pregnant? What about college? I mean wow…" Haley began to ramble._

_Peyton was walking back and forth in her room with the box in her hand._

"_Haley!" she yelled stopping in her tracks. "I can't right now. I need you to help me focus Okay?" she said._

_Haley blinked. "Okay. I think you should take it now…you know to be on the safe side. Just in case." She said nervously._

_Peyton took her advice and disappeared into the bathroom. She never came out. Five minutes passed, ten minutes passed and finally Haley heard a sniffle._

_She got up and knocked gently on the bathroom door._

"_Peyton…" she said gently. "You want to open the door? I'm still out here you know." She laughed lightly._

_The door slowly opened. Peyton was sitting on the floor tears streaming down her cheeks. Haley rushed over to her and took her in her arms. Peyton showed her the test… _-positive-

"_Oh honey." Haley said._

_This only made Peyton sob harder._

"_How are you going to tell Luke?" Haley asked._

_Peyton shook her head. "It's not Luke's." she said quietly._

_Haley looked at her with curious eyes. _

"_I slept with Nathan." Peyton cried out._

"_Oh." Haley said wide eyed._

-

Haley checked Tric, she had no luck. Brooke was checking the River Court, there was only one other place she knew to check.

She was right he was there the roof top of his mother's café. He's sitting on the picnic table with the prediction box in his hands.

"There you are buddy." She says walking over, taking a seat next to him.

He sighs.

She looks at his hands. 'Whatcha got there?"

He hands the old tin box over to her. She grabs it from him. "Just rehashing the past."

"I'm sorry Luke. It wasn't supposed to be like this." Haley says to her best friend.

"When?" he blurts out.

"When what Luke?" she asks back.

"When did she sleep with him?" he clarifies.

Haley sighs heavily. "It was the night she saw you kiss Brooke. Luke that's all I'm going to tell you. You need to talk to _them_."

"I don't want to be anywhere near them Haley." He says angrily.

"Look, I know you're hurt. But right now we all need each other. Please. For Whitey." Haley says to him shaking her head.

"Haley, she cheated on me. With my own brother….I'm sorry..I just can't let that slide." He says to her n frustration.

"Yeah and you kissed Brooke." She pipes back. She tips her head back to the dark sky and sighs. "Look, neither one of you was right in what you did Okay, but there's Sawyer to think about now. She's your niece Luke."

"My niece. She's my niece…and she's Nathan's daughter." Lucas tells Haley with disappointment in his voice.

"Just remember that things aren't ever as bad as they seem. It'll get better. I promise." Haley informs him.

"I hope you're right Hales. I hope you're right."

-

"_It'll get better. I promise." Haley informs her as she scratches her head.  
_

_Haley was the only one who knew about Peyton's pregnancy so far. Over the next few days Haley has been helping her out as best she can._

"_I was looking online, and the morning sickness should end in a few months. I mean you're only…what…five weeks along right?" she asks Peyton._

"_Yeah, only five weeks." Peyton says, sweat dripping down her face._

"_Peyton, maybe you should tell someone else about this. Luke is my best friend. And I don't want to take sides but…" Haley starts._

"…_and I don't want you to….I'll go talk to Whitey. I can't cheer anymore right? Can't have a pregnant cheerleader." Peyton tells her with a small laugh.  
_

_The next day in school Peyton walked into Whitey's office._

"_Miss Sawyer." He huffs. "You do know this office is through the boy's locker room?" he asks._

_She laughs nervously. "I know coach. It's just…I came here to tell you that I can't cheer anymore."_

"_Is this because of your little riff with Miss Davis?" she pries._

"_No…no it's not that." She sighs, preparing for what's coming next. "Coach I'm pregnant. So I can't cheer."_

_He rubs his hand over his bald head and takes a seat at his desk._

"_Well…I'm glad you came to me. But how could you be so stupid!" he yelled at her._

_She flinched. "Coach…I…"_

"_You cut your best friend outta your life when you need her the most." He clarifies._

_Peyton lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding and takes a seat._

"_Look, it's more complicated then that." She sighs, "Things were said that we can't take back."_

_When she says that there is a knock on the door._

"_Coach you have a minute?" rasped the brunette._

"_Miss Davis. Lovely to see you. Come on in." Whitey says._

_She notices Peyton and stiffens. "Oh, you know what…it can wait. You're clearly busy."_

"_No it can't get yourself in here." He yells._

_Brooke complies and takes a seat next to Peyton._

"_Now, I'm going to leave and forget that you two were even in here. And when I come back you both better have rekindled that friendship of yours and be outta my office." Whitey tells both girls and slams the door._

_They are both quiet. Brooke takes a slow breath and Peyton fidgets with her hands._

"_I'm sorry" _

"_I'm pregnant."_

_They both speak at the same time. Both girls look at each other and Brooke's eyes well up with tears._

"_Oh Peyton. I'm sorry. I never wanted us to end up like this." She tells the blonde pulling her into a comforting hug.  
_

"_It's Okay, it's just….I really need you Brooke." She cries into her best friends shoulder._

"_I'm not going anywhere P. Sawyer. We're gonna get through this." She promises._

"_Okay." Peyton sniffles. "Cuz I really need you to get us through this. I'm sorry I cut you out. I'm sorry."_

"_Shhh. Don't be. I'm sorry I gave you a reason to." Brooke soothes her._ "_Everything is going to be Okay P."_

"_I hope your right B. Davis." Peyton says to her friend._

-

Brooke gets back to the house before Haley and Lucas and all she wants to do is sleep. It's been a long night and she's burnt out.

Nathan and Peyton are both still up, waiting for their friends to return home. Brooke catches their attention when she throws her purse onto the table.

"Hey Brooke. Any luck?" Peyton asks.

"Nope. I called Hales, but she didn't pick up. Maybe she had better luck." Brooke answers.

"We can't do this anymore P." Brooke says out of the blue. "We need to fix things. It's getting bad."

Peyton sighs. Nathan groans.

"We need to go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be hell." Nathan finally speaks.

"Yeah it is." Brooke looks at Peyton. "I'm gonna go lay down. I'll be with Sawyer."

"I'll be right in Brooke, just give me a sec." Peyton says.

Brooke nods and starts off down the hallway. Peyton takes a few steps closer to Nathan, taking in the last few minutes alone with him.

"I'm going to wait until they get back. I probably shouldn't but…he's my brother." Nathan tells her shrugging his shoulders and tipping his head back.

Peyton nods her head. "You're a good guy Nathan Scott." She cocks her head to the left , and lays her hand on his chest. "I love you." And she walks off before he can say anything back.

"Yeah. I love you." He says to the empty hallway.

**-OTH is finally back on. =) Who isn't excited for next week?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I love your feedback. **

**Just so you all know school has started up again for me. Instead of updating everyday like I have been for the last week I will probably update every other day or even every two days. I hate that I have to do this but classes are taking up most of my days and that leaves me with nights. Hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

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It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly and the birds were chirping. Friends were reuniting under devastating circumstances and hearts were broken. Coach Brian Durham was being laid to rest.

All of their friends were coming back together, all mourning the loss of their friend, their coach.

Nathan, Lucas, Brooke, Haley, Peyton and Sawyer are all together standing near Whitey's coffin. Its 2:30, it's almost time.

"Ay yo, Luke." Skills says as he approaches his friends.

Lucas hugs Skills. "Thanks for coming Skills."

"Wouldn't miss this." He says.

"Yeah we wouldn't be anywhere else." Says Mouth as he comes from behind Skills, Fergie and Junk close behind.

"Mouth." Haley says with tears in her eyes as she hugs her friend.

"Bevin, Tim, and Rachel are on their way too." Skills says to them.

"B. Davis." Skills says looking at Brooke with arms wide open.

She goes over and hugs him. "It's been a long time huh?" she asks.

"Skinny girl. Get your boney ass over here." He says to Peyton.

She goes over and gives him a hug. "Skills. I've missed you….but now you owe my daughter five bucks" She teasingly tells him.

"You cursed." Sawyer pipes up. They all smile at her innocence.

"My bad mini P. Here you go baby girl." He says handing her a five. He leans over and says to Peyton "I didn't know you had a daughter P. Sawyer."

"It's a long story." Lucas says loud enough for only them to hear.

Skill doesn't press the question. There is a bigger reason for them being here today.

"So…he's really gone huh?" Mouth asks.

Haley sniffles. "Yeah Mouth, he's really gone."

Everyone says their hellos and prepare for what's next. The priest speaks.

"I am the resurrection and the life,' says the Lord. 'Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die."

Haley leans on Lucas and silently cries into his side. Brooke flanks Peyton's left and is tightly holding onto Sawyers hand with tears gently gliding down her face. Nathan flanks Peyton's right; in a moment of blind bravery he grabs her hand and laces his fingers with her own. She glances at him sideways and sends him a small smile. He smiles back and she moves a little closer to him, leaning her head on his broad shoulder. In that moment she let her walls down, she needs him, he doesn't know it yet, but he's saving her.

"We now commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life."

The priest finished, one by one everyone lines up and scatters some dirt on his coffin, one last goodbye. They all start to leave and make their way over to Luke's house. Peyton and Nathan are arm in arm, Sawyer now holding onto Haley's hand. Peyton notices Brooke lingering by the coffin. She looks at Nathan, and he kisses her forehead.

"Go." He says. "I'll see you at the house."

She walks over to her brunette friend slowly.

Brooke kisses her hand and touches the coffin. "We'll miss you Coach."

Peyton slings an arm around Brooke's waist. "You Okay?"

She leans her head on Peyton's shoulder. "I will be…. Remember how he forced us to be friends again after you told him you were pregnant?"

"Yeah. I was so mad… But I'm thankful he did though….Your a great friend Brooke Davis." She says to Brooke.

"Alright, alright." She blows a breath up. "No more crying." she wipes away a few stray tears. "Let's go over to Luke's house. I miss our girl."

"I miss her too." Peyton says as she and Brooke walk off together.

-

"Yeah. I remember when Luke joined the Ravens. I walked into the locker room to do an interview and Whitey got so mad at me. He kicked me out." Mouth recalls.

"I remember when he put me on the Ravens; right after Luke told him about his HCM. Yo, I was the happiest guy alive when he said I was a Raven" Skills tells them.

"He was always so grumpy." Bevin says leaning her head to the right. Leave it up to Bevin to lighten the mood.

"Yeah." Haley laughs. "But that was Whitey."

They all told stories about their favorite memories of Whitey, and how he changed their lives. This is what Peyton and Brooke walked in on; their closest friends laughing and smiling together.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Sawyer yells running over to her mother and jumping in her arms.

"Hey baby girl. How you feelin?" Peyton asked.

"I've missed you. But Nathan was playing with me." She says glancing over at Nathan who is sitting on the floor with some stuffed animals.

"He was?" Peyton asks happily, Sawyer nods her head yes. "Okay why don't you go in the kitchen with Aunt Brooke and she'll get you some cookies. I'm sure Luke has some cookies around here somewhere."

"Let's go Baby Brooke." She says giving Sawyer her hand.

Lucas sees that Peyton and Brooke have returned. He excuses himself from their trip down memory lane and walks up to Peyton.

"Hey. Rough day huh?" he asks her nervously.

"Yeah. It's been hard. How you holdin up?" she asks him back.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Better."

Their friends are getting louder and louder telling their stories, Brooke and Haley start doing one of their old cheers and that's when Lucas and Peyton decide to take their conversation outside.

"Peyton, I'm sorry." Lucas tells her sincerely.

She shakes her head. "I am too. It wasn't supposed to be like this." She says to him.

He looks out to the sky and squints. "It's going to get better."

"You think?" she asks.

"Yeah. Sawyer has one kick ass uncle." He proudly says as he slings his arm over her shoulder and pulls her in for a one sided hug.

Peyton smiles and laughs. "She does doesn't she."

"So I'm guessing it's safe to say her last name is Scott…and not Davis." He dares to ask.

She looks down ashamed. "I'm sorry about that Luke. Brooke was only trying to help… and Sawyer just played along, she didn't know any better."

"It's Okay." She looks at him doubtfully. "Peyton…It's Okay. We're gonna be Okay." He laughs.

-

"Haley do you remember…." Brooke starts but gets interrupted by a tug at her shirt.

"Aunt Brooke?" Sawyer says quietly.

"Yeah baby, what's wrong?" Brooke asks.

"Where's Momma?" she asks looking around for her mother.

"Baby your Momma's outside talking to Luke." Skills says to her kindly.

"Thanks Skills." Brooke says looking at him.

Sawyer scrunches up her face. "Your name is Skills?"

He feigns feeling hurt. "Yeah little miss Sawyer Brooke. Is that Okay wit you?" he asks as he tickles her stomach.

She laughs and begs him to stop. "Yes! Yes! It's Okay."

She walks away and goes over to Haley.

"So that's P. Sawyer's baby girl huh?" Skills asks Brooke.

She nods her head. "Yup."

"What did Luke mean when he said 'It's a long story'?" Skills cautiously asks.

Brooke sighs. "Her last name is Scott."

"Damn my boy Luke got a little girl." He smiles getting excited a little too fast.

She shakes her head.

"…My boy Luke don't have a little girl…" he says dumbly.

"Your boy Nate does though." She says joking around. But she isn't joking.

Skills eyes pop out of his head. "Damn!"

"Yeah. That's the cliff notes version. I'm not even going to start with what actually happened. It's not the time or place." Brooke says looking over at Sawyer who is having a laugh with Nathan and Haley.

"She looks like him." She says out loud. "She used to look like Peyton. But the more I see him with her….she looks him."

Lucas and Peyton come back inside and all eyes are on them. Lucas walks over to where Haley is sitting on the couch and takes a seat next to her. They all continue to talk, tell stories, and catch up.

Nathan locks eyes with Peyton and stops tickling Sawyer. He gets up from the couch and walks over to her.

He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "How's it go with Luke?"

"Really well actually. Everything is going to be alright." She says to him.

He looks into her eyes. "Take a walk with me Peyton Sawyer." He extends a hand out to her.

He doesn't have to say it twice; she takes it and follows him out the door.

"Ah, finally some alone time with you." He says holding her hand pulling her in closer. He's been waiting to be alone with her since he took her hand at the cemetery. He looks into her eyes and leans in to kiss her.

She pulls back and bows her head.

"Hey. What's going on?" He asks her.

"Nathan. We can't do this. We can't go sneaking off with each other like this." She says to him.

" Fine. I get it." He says starting to get angry. "You use me when you need to be saved and then you go running back to Luke." Nathan shakes his head. "Real nice Peyton."

Her eyes flash with hurt. "Is that what you think?"

"Yeah. Because you had no problem going out and talking to Lucas. Everything is just great with you two huh?" He says angrily.

"Okay. I'm going to forget you said that." She says turning away from him.

"That's right run Peyton. Run to your precious Lucas." He yells to her.

She turns around storms up to him and slaps him hard across the face. "How dare you." She seethes. "I am not _running_ from anything."

"That's not what it looks like to me." He seethes back to her. "The first sign of me wanting to be with you, and you run straight to Lucas."

"I AM NOT RUNNING TO ANYONE!" she screams. "I want _you_. I'm here. With you." She calms down a bit and continues. "I just don't want to rush into something. Not with Sawyer around."

"Oh Peyton would you stop hiding behind her?!" he yells.

She opens her mouth to speak but he cuts her off.

"You're using her as an excuse and you know it. You're hiding behind so you won't get your heart broken." He says to her.

"You're damn right I am. Because this time if you break my heart…you're breaking hers too." She retorts.

He walks up to her and grabs her. "I'm not going to!" he tells her with force.

Peyton looks up at him, her green eyes shining with unshed tears. "How can I trust you?"

"Let me show you." He says passionately looking deep into her eyes. Then he pulls her in for a long, hard, passionate kiss. "Let me show you." He says again, feeling a smile form on her lips.

"Okay."

-

They return back to Lucas' house a little after four. It has quiet down some since they've been gone. Their friends are all sitting in the living room watching old Ravens footage and holding small conversations with each other.

Haley sees that Peyton is finally back.

"Hey. Sawyer was getting tired so I told her she could take a nap. I hope that's Okay. She's in Luke's room." Haley says.

"It's fine Hales. She's had a long day." Peyton thanks her friends. She looks at Nathan and starts to make her way down the hallway.

"Let me go." Nathan suggests.

Peyton looks at him reluctantly. "Nathan, I…I don't know I mean. She's doesn't really know who you are." She says.

He shrugs his shoulders. "She knows I'm Nathan. Come on Peyton." He asks.

"Go." She says walking back to where all her friends are sitting.

-

He walks into Luke's bedroom and sees his brother reading his sleeping daughter a story. He decides to knock on the wall to get his attention.

Lucas hears the knock and turns around. "Hey. I...She just wanted someone to read to her…and I figured…" Luke stammers.

"Luke. It's Okay." Nathans says to his brother.

"She's a great kid. You're lucky Nate." Lucas tells him. "Look man, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it man." Nathan says.

"It's my fault things are they way they are." Lucas says to him. "I kissed Brooke…I drove Peyton right into your arms."

"If you didn't I wouldn't have Sawyer" He stops and thinks. "….either of them." Nathan finishes.

"Take care of them Nathan. I know you will, but if you break her heart…." Lucas threatens.

"Luke. I'm not going to." He promises. He chuckles. "Look at you giving out threats…that do you think you are me?"

Lucas laughs. "We've come a long way huh?" he says crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah we have." Nathan says laying a hand on his shoulder.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This chapter is pretty much filler. There's nothing too big going on in it, just fluff and filling in some blanks. It will pick up in the next few chapters. Read & enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

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**

It's official, they are moving back. It took them a while to come to the conclusion of staying but they made it. Brooke called the Realtor and told them to put their small house in LA on the market. They are home now. This was the best decision for them, everything is out in the open and Tree Hill is their home. Sawyer deserves to know her father and Nathan deserves to know his daughter. They are finished running, there is too much to lose if they leave again.

Peyton and Sawyer are sitting on the floor Indian style still in their pajamas with coloring books and crayons laid out everywhere. Brooke walks in with a giant box in her hands and her hair in a messy bun. She drops the box on the ground, making Peyton and Sawyer flinch.

"Okay that was the last of them." She says proudly wiping her hands clean of any dirt.

Peyton looks up at her best friend. They look around the living room surveying the mess they eventually have to clean up. Not only are there coloring books and crayons all over the floor, but there are boxes and suit cases everywhere. Moving is no walk in the park.

"Well don't just sit there and look at me P. Sawyer…Get your skinny butt up." Brooke says once again picking up the large box she dropped just a few minutes earlier.

"On second thought…maybe we should call Nathan and Lucas?" Brooke suggests putting the box back down again. "This is hard work P."

Peyton shakes her head a laughs.

-

Brooke didn't have to ask twice. As soon as she called they came running to the Sawyer/Davis house. They came clad in tee-shirts and old sweatpants, at Brooke and Peyton's beck and call.

Brooke opened the door and leapt into Nathans arms.

"Ah! Boy Toy, you came!" she said breaking away jumping to Lucas. "Broody!"

She takes a step back and observes them. She kinks her eyebrow.

"It's a good thing you came dressed looking like that….Peyton, your boyfriends are here." She yells with a devilish dimpled smile.

This makes Lucas and Nathan shift uncomfortably. But when Peyton comes downstairs with her unruly curls thrown up in a pony tail, wearing an over-sized concert tee and shorts; both men stared at her with wide eyed. Peyton blushed.

"Okay." Brooke says grabbing Lucas' arm. "Luke you can come with me. I need help in my room." She gives Peyton a wink as she walks past her. She takes Lucas upstairs to help her paint, leaving Nathan and Peyton downstairs alone.

Nathan looks around the house. It hasn't changed much since high school. Only now it's Peyton's; and she's making it her own. They move closer to each other, unsure of what to do next. They both go in to give each other a hug; it's awkward so Peyton laughs.

"I'm sorry it's just…" she laughs.

He waves it off and laughs too, because her laugh is infectious and she looks hot as hell in those shorts.

"So where is she?" Nathan asks.

"Sawyer?" she questions, he nods. "Haley has her. It's gonna be a busy day and with a four year old running around we wouldn't get much done."

Nathan looks hurt. "You could have called me. I wouldn't have minded watching her for a few hours." He tells Peyton.

She smiles at him. "Yeah, but if we did that who would help me move all these boxes upstairs?" she asks as she shoves a large box into his hands. She turns fast on her heels and starts to walk upstairs, begging him to follow her.

He throws his head back and laughs. "Alright, I see how it is Sawyer!" he says following her up the stairs.

-

Lucas is painting one of Brooke's walls, as she covers her dressers with protective cloth.

"So, looks like you and Nate are doing better." She says nonchalantly looking at him.

"Yeah. We're getting there." He pauses, and turns around to face her. "He loves her Brooke, and he makes her happy. I'm not going to stand in the way of her happiness."

Brooke smiles, she knows the feeling. Not too long ago was she that person putting aside her feeling for Peyton's happiness. They've all grown so much since then. She doesn't hold any grudges against Lucas and Peyton anymore. She knows what Lucas is going through.

"I know how you feel Luke. I've been there." She shrugs her shoulders. "The things we do for her…" she pauses. "It'll get better Luke, you'll see."

"You've got a big heart Brooke Davis." He tells her sincerely, and she smiles.

Brooke Davis is a strong woman with a huge heart. It's times like these Lucas sits back and wonders how he let such an amazing woman go. She would go to the ends of the Earth and back for the people she loves. She inspires him.

"Okay Broody, enough chit chat. Back to work." She teases, and she can't get the smile off her face.

-

Peyton sits on the floor of her daughter's room painting a garden of flowers and a picket fence on the walls. Her back is to the door and she's bobbing her head to an old Fall Out Boy song. The past two hours Nathan has been helping Luke put together some of Sawyers furniture and helping with Brooke's rooms. It's time for him to take a break. He walks up to the door and leans against the frame, he watches her work in silence. He smiles; she hasn't changed one bit, she's drawing and listening to crappy music.

"Fall Out Boy?" he muses from the doorway with his arms crossed.

She jumps and turns off the music. "Asshole!" she yells.

He laughs and walks into the room. "A little old school don't you think?"

She stands up and points the paint brush at him. "Fall Out Boy is timeless." She laughs.

"I see your taste is music is still crappy." He comments, trying to piss her off.

She smacks his arm and kisses him.

"At least your taste in guys isn't." he smirks.

"Very funny." She says handing him a paint roller.

"What's this?" he asks.

"A paint roller…you're going to paint my room." She says turning around and redirecting her attention to the fence she was painting.

"Peyton….Luke and I were putting together Sawyer's dressers…" he stumbles.

"So? Luke's a big boy….you're painting my room." She says simply.

He sighs, "What color?"

"Red." She smirks.

He can't argue with that. He leaves and goes to paint her room.

-

"So you're going to be living with Peyton?" Luke asks as he sits on the floor in Brookes room as she finishes painting the last wall.

"Yeah. I mean we've lived together for the last five years. And her dad gave her the house." Brooke says, still facing the wall.

"Don't you ever think about what's going to happen if…you know, if her and Nathan…." He starts.

"Yeah." She stops and turns around. "I've thought about it, but we just moved back and Peyton isn't ready to rush into anything. Especially with Sawyer around." Brooke says to him.

"Does she know?" Lucas asks.

Brooke looks at him curiously. "Know what?"

"About her father? Does Sawyer know about Nathan?" He clarifies.

Brooke looks down. "She knows Nathan…about as well as she knows you. But she doesn't know _who_ her father is."

"So she doesn't know it's him." He asks just to be sure.

She shakes her head. "Nope. It's a lot for her to process. She's gone this long thinking it was just me and Peyton around. Now there are all these new people she needs to get used to." She looks away from his blue eyes. "It's gonna be a hard adjustment."

He squints at her. "For who?" he asks softly.

She looks back to him. "All of us."

-

Peyton finished Sawyers room and was exhausted. She knew Brooke and Lucas were in Brooke's room finishing it up and putting things in their respective places, but she hasn't seen her room since this morning. When she got to the door Nathan was hard at work painting her closet doors. She smiled, not only did he do her walls; he's painting the doors too.

"You didn't have to do that." She says walking into her bedroom looking around at the job he's done so far.

He shrugs his shoulders. "You were still working on Sawyers room, figured I help you out a bit."

"Thanks." She smiles.

Before either one of them can get a word out Brooke comes in the room.

"Okay, enough flirting. Peyton it's getting late, and I'm hungry." Brooke says with a huff.

Nathan and Peyton laugh at her.

"Brooke, you're worse than Sawyer." Peyton says to her friend.

Nathan's ears perk up at her name. "Speaking of Sawyer when is she getting back here?"

"Lucas went to go pick her and Haley up." Brooke says looking at the two of them. "We're all going out to eat, and we're bringing Baby Brooke with us." She says leaving the room.

"Baby Brooke?" he asks Peyton.

She shakes her head and laughs. "She's been calling her that since she was born."

Since she was born. Nathan looks down with guilt. If he was around when she was born he would have known that. He wouldn't have had to ask Peyton about it his daughters' nicknames, he would know them. Peyton sees the guilt in his eyes. She walks over to him and lays a hand on his arm.

"Hey. You're here now." She reassures him.

He pulls away from her touch. "I should know that Peyton." He says in frustration. "I should know her favorite color, her likes and dislikes. I'm her father…I…I should know her." He yells.

"Know who?" says a small voice from the doorway.

Her green eyes meet his blue. She's standing there smiling with the most innocent look on her face.

Peyton shot him a glare and turned to kneel down to her daughter's level. "Hey baby." She said giving her a hug.

"I missed you Mommy!" Sawyer exclaimed. "Aunt Haley took me to the park and then we got ice cream, and we watched a movie, and she even colored with me."

Peyton listened to her daughter intently nodding her head at all the right times. "Did she? So did you have fun today?"

Sawyer nods her head causing her brunette curls to bounce up and down. "Umm hum."

Peyton stands up and Sawyer grabs her hand to bring her downstairs. "Let's go eat."

Sawyer turns around and looks back at Nathan.

"Uncle Nate. Aren't you coming?" she asks so innocently.

Peyton's jaw drops and Nathan's eyes go wide. Uncle Nate, she called him uncle. This can't be good.

"Sawyer!" Peyton reprimands.

"What?" she looks back and forth from her mother to Nathan. "I figured you're my Mommy and girls are my aunts….aren't boys my uncles?' she asks sweetly.

Peyton opened her mouth to say something but Nathan cut her off.

"It's okay Sawyer. You're right boys are your uncles." Nathan tells her gently.

Peyton so badly wants to smack him. Is he even serious right now? He is giving his own daughter permission to call him Uncle Nate. He's pushing her away.

"So…let's go eat." Nathan says as he follows Peyton and Sawyer down the stairs.

-

"How was she?" Brooke asks Haley as they sit downstairs waiting for the small family to come down.

"She was great. I got her some ice cream; we watched a movie, colored a bit. We had a good day." Haley looks at Lucas sitting quietly on the other couch. "How were things here?" Looking back at Brooke.

"Things were good. We got a lot done. Thanks again for taking her." She says to her petite friend.

"It was no problem." Haley responds.

Haley opens her mouth to say something but she notices Peyton coming down the stairs with a look on her face. Brooke and Haley glance at each other. They have a feeling that nothing good can come of this. They smile anyway because they see Sawyer, there's no need to clue her in on the bigger problems at hand.

"Hey girly. Are you ready to get some food?" Brooke asks her.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Sawyer says enthusiastically running over to Lucas.

"Peyt, is everything Okay?" Brooke leans in close and asks.

"Ask Uncle Nate." She says raising an eyebrow, challenging Nathan to say something.

Haley looks confused. "Uncle Nate?" Haley and Brookes eyes go wide with realization and instantly turn into glares. How could he be so stupid?

Nathan ignores Haley and Brooke's glares. He moves closer to Peyton trying to apologize.

"I'm sorry. What else was I supposed to say to her?" He asks.

"Nothing! You were supposed to say nothing." Peyton yells.

Lucas notices the fight that is about to erupt and decides to take Sawyer outside, Haley and Brooke soon following them.

"I'm her mother. I could've handled it. I've been doing it for years." Peyton says, instantly regretting it.

"Yeah. You're her mother. You don't need my help. Don't need to remind me." Nathan says bitterly and walks out the door.

"Nathan…" she yells following him out the door. But it's too late he's already gone.

Now she stands there looking at four very confused faces.

"Where did Uncle Nate go?" her young daughter asks, and she breaks down.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your great reviews. Especially rachtree, Lexie-Rae & cabot007, your reviews help me out so much, I love them. If there is anything specific you want to see happen let me know; I may throw it in the story. And any advice on how Nathan and Sawyer should get to know each other would be wonderful. I have an idea but I'm unsure about it. Thanks again everyone who has reviewed. Enjoy the latest chapter of More Than Anyone.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

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It's nine thirty at night and he has about 10 missed phone calls, and 4 voice messages.

'_Nathan, its Haley. We're worried….call us.' -Haley_

'_Boy Toy, you better pick up the phone. This isn't a game… I swear to God if you leave them I will find you and kill you.' -Brooke_

'_Nate, man. Peyton's a mess. Call me.' -Lucas_

'_Enough is enough. Grow the hell up and get your ass back over here. Stop running from all your damn problems.' –Brooke_

The thing was he didn't want to pick up, he didn't want to talk. He was pissed. And he really thought he was making progress. Granted telling his own daughter to call him Uncle Nate probably wasn't the greatest idea, but he's new at this. Now he sits alone on the beach, thinking about everything that has happened today. Maybe he is wrong for leaving, maybe he's wrong for not being more rational, but with Peyton all rationalities go out the window. He can't see clear when he's with her.

He sits quietly on the sand, watching the giant waves crash harshly onto the shore. As each wave crashes he feels more and more of his pent up energy being released; there's something soothing about the beach.

Nathan can feel her presence, but he doesn't say a word. She sits silently in the sand beside him and grabs his hand.

His blue eyes look deeply into her green ones. They are glistening with tears, and it kills him that he is the cause of them.

"I'm sor..." he starts, she places a finger in front of his lips to silence him and shakes her head.

"Don't." she tells him.

He looks away from her. It's too much. There is too much going on for him.

"You cannot walk away like that." She says to him.

He opens his mouth to speak but she keeps talking.

"If we are going to do this, we need to be in it together. Okay…no matter how hard it gets. No matter how much we piss each other off." She says to him.

"I shouldn't have left." He finally says.

"Yeah. You shouldn't have, but you did…again." She pauses looking at her hands. "We're gonna have to tell her you know."

"How?" he asks.

"I don't know yet. But she needs to know Nathan. She needs to know you're her dad." She tells him.

"What about Uncle Nate?" He dares to ask.

Peyton throws her head back and sighs. "I don't know. We'll think of something…I'm sure Brooke already has."

Nathan cocks his head to the side. "Speaking of Brooke….Do they know where you are?"

She arches an eyebrow. "Nathan, I'm not three." She comments. "But no. They don't….I sort of just...left."

"I'm glad you did." He admits.

"Yeah me too. But if you're gonna leave like that again…tell me now so I can spare myself and my daughter the heartache." She says, he green eye shining.

"I'm not. I'm not going anywhere." He tells her.

"Nathan you need to stop saying that and start showing me." Peyton says back to him throwing her hands in the air. "You need to prove it."

"I've been trying to Peyton." He says getting frustrated.

"Yeah. I can see why you walked away." She retorts sarcastically.

Nathan groans. "I got pissed alright. I didn't want to say anything in front of Sawyer that would make her hate me. So I left."

"Nathan. That does not make it okay." Peyton explains to him. "If you want to be in her life as her father then you need to stick around. You can't go running every time things get rough…It doesn't fix anything. Trust me…I know."

"It's just all so real now you know?" he says.

"For you maybe…It's been real for me for the last five years." She says quietly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have abandoned you…or Sawyer. I never wanted to be like Dan." He scoffs. "Now look at me."

She sighs. "Nathan, you chose to be like Dan. You had a choice, and you still do... Choose to be the better guy. Be the guy I always knew you could be." She says to him before getting up and leaving him alone again.

-

"Okay, this has got to stop happening." Brooke says slamming her phone shut.

"Which part? Our friends running from their problems or our friends ignoring our calls?" Haley sarcastically asks.

Brooke quickly raises an eyebrow and thinks. "Both…we cant...we can't do this anymore."

"Yeah. Maybe I should call Nathan one more time" Haley says reaching for her phone. "…Hey have you seen Peyton?" Haley asks randomly.

Brooke stairs at her. "No. I haven't." she sighs.

"Broody?" Brooke yells. "Where's P. Sawyer?"

Lucas enters the kitchen with a laughing Sawyer slung over his shoulder. "I have no clue." He looks around the kitchen. "I thought she was with you."

"No!" Brooke sighs. "Great now she's gone too."

The minute she said that her phone goes off and so does Lucas'.

"It's a text from Peyton. 'Went out to clear my head. On my way back now.'" Brooke scoffs. "Yeah, now she's on her way back."

"I got one from Nate. 'I'm fine. Coming back now.'" Lucas reads as he puts Sawyer down on the floor.

"Well it's a good thing they're okay." Haley comments checking her phone for the time. "But it is getting late, so I'm going to head home. You two got it from here?" she asks.

Brooke and Lucas look at each other. "Yeah we got it. Thanks Hales." Brooke says giving her a hug.

"See ya Luke." She says giving her best friend a hug.

She leaves closing the front door, leaving Brooke and Lucas alone with Sawyer.

"So…." Brooke says awkwardly.

Lucas looks down and laughs, causing Brooke to laugh in return.

"Are you worried about her?" Lucas asks, clearing the tension in the air.

"A little bit. But I think she can handle herself." Brooke confesses. "She doesn't need me as much as she used to."

"She is always going to need you. You know that." Lucas says to her moving closer.

"I know. This is a good thing." Brooke says avoiding eye contact with him. "They need to be a family. It's been too long that he hasn't been here, and now that he finally is it…it just needs to be okay."

"It's going to be. Don't worry Pretty Girl. She has us." Lucas says kissing her on the forehead.

-

Peyton enters her house a half hour after she sent Brooke that text. The house is quiet, and she starts to get nervous. She walks up the stairs cautiously.

"Brooke." She calls out, but gets no answer.

She continues on and ends up in front of Sawyers room. She peeks inside and sees her daughter standing on the floor with stuffed animals everywhere and Lucas and Brooke sitting on her new bed with stuffed bears in their hands. Peyton can't help but laugh.

"Now Miss Fluff." Sawyer says to one of her bears. "Go to Aunt Brooke and give her this cup." She says to the bear seriously.

Brooke sits on the bed wearing a serious face waiting for "Miss Fluff" to give her the cup.

Lucas leans over and whispers in her hear. "When is Peyton getting back?"

"Not soon enough." She whispers back. "Oh thank you Miss Fluff!" Brooke exclaims when Sawyer comes over to her with an empty cup.

"Okay. Party's over." Peyton says finally walking into the room.

Sawyer spins around and rushes over to her mom.

"Mommy! You're back!" Sawyer yells excitedly. "Here Mommy, here's a cup."

"Ohh… Alright I think it's time for bed." Peyton says to her young daughter.

Sawyer gives her the all too famous pout. She turns to Brooke and pouts some more.

"No no no. Don't look at Aunt Brooke. She' s not gonna help you." Peyton laughs.

Sawyer looks over to Lucas and he looks anywhere but her eyes, Peyton's eyes. If he looks at them he'll cave, even though he has no authority what so ever.

"Don't look at him either missy. Its way passes your bedtime. You're lucky you're even up now. Let's go." Peyton says as she pulls out some pajamas for her.

Lucas gets up off the bed and clears his throat. "I'm gonna go." He says pointing to the door. "Sawyer it was my pleasure having a tea party with you tonight."

Sawyer smiles and laughs her infectious laugh. "Uncle Luke. I don't like tea…It was apple juice silly!"

"Well then I enjoyed the apple juice." He says giving her a hug goodbye. He turns to face Brooke and Peyton. "I'll be at home if you need anything. Night."

"Bye Luke. Thanks for being so good with her." Peyton says.

"See ya Broody." Brooke says eyeing him as he leaves the room.

Peyton notices and arches an eyebrow. "What was that about?" she asks her bubbly friend after putting Sawyers PJ's on.

"What was what about?" Brooke asks back.

"Don't play dumb with me B. Davis. I saw the eye thing." Peyton says.

Brooke scoffs. "What eye thing?"

"They eye thing you do whenever you have a crush on Lucas….OH MY GOD! You have a crush on Lucas!" Peyton yells.

Brooke shifts uncomfortably, "Wha…I have no idea…I …I don't even know what you're talking about." Say stutters helping Sawyer into her bed and giving her a kiss goodnight.

Peyton points to her. "Yes. You do."

"No I don't." Brooke says defensively, turning off the light and walking into the hallway. Peyton follows her.

"You do." She says matter-of-factly. "It's okay. I think it's good."

Brooke looks at her with uncertainty. "You do?"

"Yeah. He needs someone Brooke. And you deserve happiness." Peyton says to her best friend.

"It's not going to go anywhere though." Brooke says brushing the comment off. "He's still hung up on you."

Peyton looks away. She hopes that it's not true, Lucas in famous for hiding his heart when it comes to the person he loves. Maybe he's scared to love Brooke again.

"People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end." Peyton finally says.

"Yeah…maybe. Goodnight best friend." Brooke says turning away.

"Night best friend." Peyton says into the empty hallway.

-

Nathan walked into his house and threw his keys on the table. He had a missed call and a voice mail on his house phone.

"_Hey Nathan. Hope everything is alright with your family. We send our regards', but you can't miss another game. We've let it slide this far, but we can't anymore. You know the schedule, practice in two days and a game in four. Be there. Frank."_

Basketball. After all that has happened he completely forgot about basketball. He promised Peyton that he wouldn't leave; but this is his career, he can't miss another game. He already risked too much by missing this one. One step forward, and two giant leaps back. That's how he feels. Things are never going to work out for him. It seems like everything that can get in the way will. How is he going to explain this to her? Hell, he'll do it tomorrow. He doesn't have enough energy to get into another fight right now.

Family. That is what he is going to leave behind if he goes back to Charlotte. He's never going to have anytime to be with his new found family; no matter how dysfunctional they may be. He hasn't even spent time with his daughter. She's the one thing that may change his mind…His daughter. A daughter that he's known about for five years and hasn't done a damn thing about.

His life is falling apart around him. Nathan thought things were good for a long time. He went to college, did good in school, played college ball and then got drafted by the NBA. Life was great; he could have had any woman that he ever wanted. Every woman except one. Reluctantly he came back to Tree Hill, he thought he would make amends, but he just made things more complicated. And now he has to leave, making things ten times worse.

"DAMN IT!" Nathan yells, punching a wall.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.**

It was stupid. He knows he shouldn't have done it, but he let his anger get the best of him…again. Now, thanks to his anger, his shooting hand is swollen, and possibly fractured. How do you explain that one to your coach? How do you explain that to anyone? Nathan is pissed. He has no choice but to leave and go back to Charlotte, fractured hand or not.

The door bell rings, right now, he's not in the mood for a visitor.

He opens the door to find Brooke standing outside. Nathan stares at her.

She scoffs, "Are you gonna let me in Nate?" she asks.

He shakes his head breaking his daze. "Yeah, umm….come in."

"Okay." She starts, taking a breath. "So…I think I have a crush on Luke."

Nathan is too busy rubbing his fractured hand to acknowledge her little confession.

"Nathan! Are you even listening to me?" She pouts. "I just told you I have a crush on your brother and all you can do is rub your hand?"

That's when she sees it. He's rubbing his hand, his swollen hand.

"_Oh my God_. What did you do?" she asks moving closer to him grabbing his hand.

Nathan flinches in pain, and tugs his hand out from hers. "It's nothing."

"You're lying. It's not nothing. What did you punch…or who did you punch?" Brooke asks him thinking the worst.

"I didn't punch anybody." He tells her truthfully, he never touched anyone.

Brooke furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "Then what…and why?"

He walks over to the answering machine and plays his message.

"_Hey Nathan. Hope everything is alright with your family. We send our regards', but you can't miss another game. We've let it slide this far, but we can't anymore. You know the schedule, practice in two days and a game in four. Be there. Frank."_

Brooke listens to the message, her eyes go wide. She turns and faces him with an unreadable expression.

"Look if you're going to yell at me leave now. I'm not in the mood." Nathan says angrily.

"Nate. I'm not here to yell at you." She says quietly, glancing over to the wall and sees a slight indentation. "You punched a wall?" she asks him incredulously pointing to the wall.

He shrugs his shoulders and rolls his eyes.

"I'm guessing Peyton doesn't know." She says already knowing the answer.

He shakes his head. "No. Just me…and now you."

Brooke sighs, just when she thought things we're starting to look up Nathan has to go back to Charlotte.

"When are you gon…" she starts.

"I don't know!" Nathan yells.

Brooke flinches and licks her lips before speaking. "Okay."

"I'm sorry." He says lamely.

She nods her head in acceptance.

"It's just really bad timing." He offers not really looking at her.

"Yeah. It is." She pauses and furrows her eyebrow. "Are you even going to tell her?" she asks in an accusatory tone.

He slowly raises his head. "I want to. I just don't know if I'm going to."

Brooke stares at him. "If you don't, I will."

"Brooke…" he starts.

"NO! Nathan you _cannot_ do this. Not now. Too much has happened in the last week and a half." She takes a breath. "I can't hide this from her. I won't. So you tell her or I will." Brooke finally gets out.

"Give me some time Brooke." He pleads.

She laughs humorlessly. "You don't have time."

"An hour." He pleads again.

"Fine. And get that hand checked out." She says to him before leaving his house.

-

"Well Mr. Scott, your hand is indeed fractured." Dr. Kinsley informs him.

Nathan drops his head and lets out a sigh. "What does that mean for basketball?"

Dr. Kinsley flips through his notebook and jots down some notes. "That means that you're going to be supporting your team from the bench."

"From the bench?" Nathan asks loudly. "You don't understand, I have a game in three days. I _have_ to play."

"Sorry." The doctor says shaking his head. "You'll be in that cast for six to eight weeks."

Nathan sighs heavily. "Alright. Thanks Doctor." He says as he walks out of the room.

Six to eight weeks; that's how long he's going to be in this stupid cast. The season's just starting and he's going to be benched for six to eight weeks. Frank is going to be pissed.

Nathan continues walking he's looking at the ground when he bumps into somebody.

"Whooa. Hey Nate." He hears his brother say.

"Oh...uh …hey Luke." He says awkwardly. "What are you doing here?"

"My heart…its fine, just a check up." Lucas looks at him. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

Nathan shows him his hand, all wrapped up in the cast.

"Nathan, what the hell did you do?" Lucas asks him.

"Punched a wall." He sighs. "I have to go back to Charlotte. Frank called and we have a game in a few days, and I can't miss it."

Lucas cocks his head to the side. "So you punched a wall?"

"It's not like that….I promised Peyton last night that I wouldn't leave again and then I got the message from Frank." Nathan tries to explain.

"She'll understand Nate. It's your career. She'll get that." Lucas informs him.

"What about my family?" Nathan asks. "What about Sawyer?"

"She'll be here when you get back. So will Peyton. They're not going anywhere." Lucas tells his brother. "Go talk to her. And try and make up a better story about your hand."

Nathan chuckles slightly.

"I'll see ya bro," Lucas says as he walks further into the hospital.

-

There was a huge mess in Peyton Sawyers kitchen. She thought she could do it alone, but she couldn't. Baking cookies with a four year old was harder then she thought. There was flour all over their faces and in their hair. They were busy rolling the dough when the doorbell rang.

"Coming." Peyton yelled as she ate some spare dough off her finger. "Stay right here Sawyer."

She left the kitchen and went straight to the door.

She opened it and came face to face with Nathan. "Hi."

Nathan stood at her door with his hands in his pockets and a shy look on his face.

Once he saw what a mess she looked like, he furrowed his eyebrows and laughed. "This is a good look for you."

Peyton put a hand on her hip. "Ha ha….We're making cookies."

"Peyton I've heard stories about your cookies." Nathan joked.

"Very funny." She said. "Sawyer wanted to do it, and I couldn't say no." She shrugged her shoulders.

"You caved." He said back to her.

Peyton nodded her head. "So…um…You wanna come in?" she asked.

He was hesitant at first but he saw the look in her eyes, almost begging him to enter. So he did.

Peyton closed the door and made her way back into the kitchen, only to find Sawyer cover head to toe in flour and cookie dough.

"Sawyer Brooke Scott!" Peyton yelled. "What did you do? You're a mess!"

"Mommy, I was only trying to make cookies." Sawyer tried to reason with her mother. "And you told me to stay right here."

Peyton took in a deep breath and forced a smile. "You're right baby, I did."

Nathan watched as Peyton interacted with their daughter. She was a natural. When they went out, even though they were only sixteen, she always said she never wanted kids. But looking at her now, he couldn't see her _not_ having kids. Sawyer suited her, the two of them share such a great connection and she's a great mother.

"Nathan, do you want to help us?" Sawyer asked him innocently.

He didn't know how to respond so he looked to Peyton. She nodded at him giving him the okay.

"Uh…yeah sure…how do you do it?" he asked

Nathan went over to Sawyer and listened to her as she gave him instructions on how to make the dough and roll it and cut it up into cookies. Peyton watched them interact, it was such a natural thing seeing the two of them together, she wonders what it would have been like if Nathan had stayed in their lives. She watched them quietly until a glimpse of Nathan hand caught her eye.

"What is that?" She asks aloud.

"What's what Momma?" Sawyer asked looking around.

Peyton shakes her head. "Nathan. What is that?" she asks again redirecting her question to him.

He looks down at his hand. "It's nothing." Is what he responds.

She puts her hands on her hips. "If it was nothing it wouldn't be in a cast, and you wouldn't be lying to me about it. What happened?"

"I was playing basketball with Skills and Lucas and things got rough. I sorta fell and landed on my hand." He lied, remembering what Lucas told him at the hospital.

"Nathan. Are you okay" she says rushing over to him. "I…I mean…how long is your hand going to be like this…are, are you going to be able to play basketball…What about the Bobcats?" Peyton asked frantically.

"Six to eight weeks…and that's actually why I came over here today." He says to her.

"What do you mean?" She asks searching his eyes for an answer.

He glances over at Sawyer.

"Sawyer sweetie, how about you go in your room and change out of those dirty clothes. Mommy and Nathan will clean up Okay?" Peyton says to her daughter.

They both watch as Sawyer runs up the stairs to her room. They wait until they are completely sure she's out of earshot, and then Nathan speaks.

"I kinda got a phone call last night." He tells her.

"From…" She pries.

"Frank. My manager. He says.

"And…" She urges him to continue.

"I have a game in three days. I have to leave tonight." He says with a sigh.

"Go." She says simply.

"Go?" He asks.

"Yeah Nate." She laughs. "This is your dream. You need to follow it."

"But…I…I promised I wouldn't leave you and Sawyer and now I have to." He says dumbfounded.

"Yeah but this is _basketball_. Nathan you've been playing basketball for as long as I've known you. It's part of who you are. You're not going to stop now. This is your career." Peyton says to him. "I'm not going to hold you back from that."

Nathan breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Nathan…I would never make you choose between us or basketball. You can have both." She reassures him. "And right now you have a commitment to your team, and they need you."

He walks over to her and takes her in his arms. "I'm sorry."

She breaths in his scent. "Don't be sorry. Just promise me that you'll kick some major ass this season."

He laughs. "I promise."

"Wouldn't want Sawyer telling all her friends her daddy sucks at basketball." Peyton teases.

"About that…What are we gonna do about Sawyer?" he asks.

"We'll wait." She responds. "We'll wait until you're back in Tree Hill to say anything to her."

Nathan throws his head back. "I'm not even going to be able to play."

"Nathan, you have to go…you can't bail on them." She says to him.

She knows it's selfish, but she wants him to stay. This is his dream, and he has worked so hard to get to where he is now. Basketball is a part of him and it always will be; she won't be that person who puts out his fire and his spark. The hardest part is, is that he leaves tonight, and who knows how long he'll be gone. She wants him to stay, and it's killing her to tell him to go.

"I'm not. I just…I don't want to go." He admits.

-

Lucas was sitting on Haley's couch with a glass of soda in his hand. He stopped by after his HCM check-up and after his run in with Nathan. He was unsure of what to do with that information so he called Haley. Luckily Brooke was at Haley's place so they can all talk about it together. Haley and Brooke were sitting on the bar stools at the counter eating ice cream out of the tub listen to Lucas.

"So you just ran into him?" Brooke asks.

"Yep. I ran into him in the hospital." Lucas said shaking his head.

"And his hand is in a cast?" Haley asks in disbelief.

"Yeah. Six to eight weeks." He answers.

"At least he listened to me." Brooke adds.

"What are we going to do?" Haley asks.

"Nothing. I think Nathan can handle this himself." Lucas says.

"Yeah. They need to do this without our help….As hard as this is going to be, it needs to be done." Brooke says.

Haley gets up and put her spoon in the sink. "And he's leaving for Charlotte tonight?"

"Yeah. That's what he told me this morning." Brooke answers. "Before he went to the hospital."

"Does anyone know what time he's leaving?" Haley asks again.

Brooke and Lucas look at each other. Neither one of them knowing the answer.

"Uh…he didn't say anything to me." Lucas sad first.

"Yeah…me either." Brooke said.

"What are we gonna do with these two?" Haley asked.

-

Sawyer comes running down the stairs dressed in mismatched clothes. "Mommy. Look!"

Peyton stairs at her wide-eyed. "Oh! Sawyer, girly, you look a mess." She laughed.

"No! I don't look a mess. Aunt Brooke bought these clothes for me." She pouts.

"Yeah, but your not supposed to wear them together. Come here." Peyton says lowering herself to her daughter's level. "Why don't you say good-bye to Nathan. He's going to be leaving for a while."

Sawyer looks up at Nathan. "Where are you going?" She asks the disappointment clear in her voice.

Nathan looks over to Peyton. She nods at him giving him the go. He mimics Peyton, and gets down to Sawyer's level. "I have to go back to work."

Sawyer cocks her head to the side. "Where do you work?"

Who knew she was going to be this curious?

"I…uh….well I play basketball. And they need me back so the team can win lots of games." He explains to her with the best of his abilities.

"Oh, Okay." She says accepting his answer. "Go win lots of game Nate!" Sawyers says enthusiastically lunging forward giving him a hug.

Nathan was taken back and Peyton watched on with her mouth open.

The moment Sawyer lunged forward and wrapped her small arms around his neck, shivers went down his spine. His daughter was hugging him, and it was the greatest feeling in the world. He pulled her a little closer and hugged her a little tighter. He never wanted to let go, not now, not ever. Now he really didn't want to leave.

"I will." He says to her finally breaking apart. Nathan looks over to Peyton.

"So…What time are you leaving?" She asks.

"I think I'll leave here around seven." He tells her.

Peyton nods her head. "Call me."

"I will." He promises.

They hear the door open and Sawyer runs to greet whoever it is.

"Aunt Brooke!" They hear her yell from the door.

They look at each other and laugh. Peyton looks at the cookie dough and decides to put them in the oven. After all that hard work and all that mess she might as well.

"There's my favorite Goddaughter! I've missed you!" They hear Brooke say.

Brooke follows Sawyer into the kitchen where Nathan and Peyton are standing.

"Hey Peyton…Oh. Nathan, hi. I didn't know you were here." Brooke says.

"Uhh. Yeah, I just stopped by to talk to Peyton. To let her know I'm leaving tonight for Charlotte." He tells Brooke.

Brooke nods her head and redirects her attention back to Sawyer.

"Look, me and Mommy made cookies…Nathan helped too. Look!" Sawyer says to Brooke, pulling her over to the oven.

"Oh yeah! I see them. They look good." Brooke says.

Nathan turns to Peyton who is playing with Sawyers long brown curls. "I should really get home and start to pack."

"I know." Peyton says.

"I'll stop by before I leave?" he asks her awkwardly.

"Sure. I'd like that." She responds.

With that she left Sawyer in the kitchen with Brooke and walked Nathan out.

She opened the door and he steps outside. He takes a good look at her.

Peyton steps forward and gives him a hug.

"I'll see you in a couple of hours. Don't worry." He tells her, he can feel her labored breathing.

"I know…ugh, this….this sucks." She laughs.

"I know." He says letting her go.

She waves to him one last time before he gets into his car and drives off.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I really love your reviews! They keep me motivated. Keep em coming!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

* * *

**

Peyton walks back into her kitchen to see Brooke and Sawyer with their sleeves rolled up and their hands deep in cookie dough. She walks over to the two of them and raises an eyebrow.

"Sawyer, what are you doing? We just made cookies." Peyton says.

"Mommy. These are for Nathan. Duh!" Sawyers says.

"Yeah Mommy. Duh." Brooke mimics sticking her tongue out at Peyton.

Peyton's heart melted a little bit. Sawyer was making cookies for Nathan so he could bring them to Charlotte, and Brooke was helping her.

Brooke looked up and walked over to Peyton.

"She really wanted to make them for him. I couldn't say no." Brooke says shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm not mad." Peyton laughs. "It's just…weird you know?"

"Oh trust me. I know." Brooke says.

"So…speaking of weird. Did you finally tell Lucas how you feel B. Davis?" Peyton asks changing the subject.

Brooke looks away. "About that…."

"I'm guessing that's a no." Peyton says.

"It wasn't the right time. There were other things going on and…I didn't have time." Brooke says.

Peyton grabs her with both hands and says, "Brooke. Stop worrying about me. Okay? I'll be fine. Do something for _you_."

Brooke sighs. "Peyton, it's not that simple."

"It is Brooke. Tell him how you feel." She tells her friend.

"I don't want to get burned again…it hurt so bad last time." Brooke finally clarifies.

"I'm not gonna hurt you again. And neither is he. He's a different guy now." Peyton promises.

"Fine." Brooke says clearly defeated. "I'll talk to him, but I swear to God Peyton…If I look stupid, I'm kicking your skinny ass!"

Sawyer spins her head around. She hear it, 'ass' and she's getting her five bucks. Brooke looks at her and sighs. She cursed in front of her, and she isn't supposed to. Now she has to pay up.

"Smooth Brooke." Peyton laughs watching Brooke pull money out of her wallet.

"Shut up." She says through her teeth.

-

Nathan's in his bedroom packing all the essentials that he's going to need when he's finally back in Charlotte. He picks up a hoodie, and a picture falls out of it. It's his picture of Sawyer. He stares at it, the more he looks at the picture the more he wants to stay. And after baking cookies and that heartfelt hug today, he's mentally kicking himself. If this was a perfect world he would take Peyton and Sawyer with him. They would be that perfect small loving family that people stare at it awe. His girls would go to all his games and cheer for him from the crowd. In a perfect world. But it's not, and he's packing for one tonight, his daughter doesn't know that he's her father, and he's leaving alone.

He looks around his bedroom as he's packing. And his phone goes off. **–Haley-**

"Hey Hales." He says into the phone.

"Hey Nate. I have a question." She says quickly.

He laughs; he knows Brooke and Lucas talked to her. "Go ahead."

"Are you really leaving tonight?" Haley asks.

"Yes." He responds.

"And did you break your hand?" she asks.

"Well I fractured it." He says, the phone nudged between his ear and his shoulder. "Haley, where are you going with this?"

"I'm sorry it's just…what are you going to do?" she questions him.

"I'm gonna go to Charlotte. I have to." Nathan replies.

"Does Peyton know yet?" she dares to ask.

"Yeah, she does. I told her already." He tells her honestly.

"Oh. Okay. Good. How did she take it?" She pries.

"Hales, you said you have _a_ question…so far you've asked five." He laughs.

She laughs too; she knows she's asking too many questions. She just feels like this had such potential to be disastrous.

"I know! I know!" she sighs. "I guess I just feared the worst. This whole situation sucks."

"Yeah, it does."

"Okay, I have one more question…How's your hand feeling?" she asks.

"Fractured, it hurts like hell…and I can't play for six to eight weeks." He answers.

"Jesus Nathan. Well, I hope you feel better. Have fun in Charlotte, don't miss us too much." Haley laughs.

"I won't. I'll talk to you later Hales. Bye." He says hanging up.

He shakes his head. They have all come a long way since high school, for one he and Haley were married and divorced before they graduated high school. And they are better friends than ever before. There were more love triangles then he could count and one too many cat fights. Now they are all past that, still friends throughout all of the shit they've been through, and honestly he wouldn't have it any other way.

-

"All done." Brooke says, tying a bow out of a blue piece of ribbon.

"Aunt Brooke!" Sawyer says in awe. "It's beautiful!"

All Brooke had done was wrap up some cookies in a plate and tie a bow around it, but to Sawyer it was much more than that.

"Well I'm glad you like it." Brooke says looking at Sawyer.

"Do you think Nathan will?" Sawyer asks in a meek voice.

"Baby girl I know he will." Brooke says pinching her cheek.

"Momma, you look pretty." Sawyer says noticing her mother walk into the kitchen.

Peyton walked into the kitchen with her curls perfectly done, make-up flawless, wearing some Clothes Over Bros original clothing.

"Yeah P. Sawyer, you do. Where are you going?" Brooke rasps.

Peyton unconsciously touches her hair. "I'm not going anywhere. I just got dressed."

"Riiight." Brooke says kinking an eyebrow.

"Brooke." Peyton warns.

Brooke looks at her innocently. "I'm not saying anything."

"What time is it?" Peyton asks looking around the room.

"Uhh, about a quarter to three. What's going on Peyton?" Brooke asks.

"What…huh…? Nothing. Nothing." Peyton responds.

Sawyer hopped down from the stool she was standing on and runs over to her mother.

"Mommy, come here." She says tugging at her hand. "Look at Nathan's cookies. Don't they look beautiful?"

Peyton and Brooke laugh, only Sawyer would thing cookies look 'beautiful'.

"Yes baby. They look beautiful." Peyton answers her daughter. "I think Nathan is going to love them."

Sawyer's face lit up instantaneously when Peyton said that.

"When is Nathan getting here?" Sawyer asks curiously.

"Sawyer." Brooke says. "Why don't we go upstairs and get you out of that outfit."

"Let's go!" Sawyer says running up the stairs to her room.

"Call him P." Brooke says to Peyton.

-

Peyton called Nathan. He picked up briefly and told her he had to call her back not giving any explanation as to why. If she said she wasn't disappointed, she'd be lying. She knew that Nathan had to pack and had things to do, but she missed him and wanted to talk to him.

Brooke took Sawyer to the park for a while to get some fresh air. Peyton sat around the house for an hour waiting for Nathan's phone call…and it never came. She knew it was stupid but she called him again. No answer.

'_You've reached Nathan Scott. Leave a message.'_

Peyton sighed. "Hey Nate I know you said you'd call back. It's just…." The doorbell rang interrupting her message.

She got up off the couch and answered the door.

It was Nathan.

"Jerk never called back did he?" Nathan asks with his signature smirk.

Peyton shut her phone ending the call and leapt into his arms.

"I'm sorry I didn't call." He said breathing in her scent.

"It's okay." She said into his shoulder.

They break apart and she invites him in.

"Where's Sawyer?" he asks looking around for her.

"Oh. Brooke took her to the park for a little." Peyton answers. "She's been baking cookies all day."

Peyton notices the disappointment flash across Nathan eyes.

"She made you cookies." She adds quickly.

"What?" he laughs.

"Sawyer. She made you cookies with Brooke….They're in the kitchen." She clarifies.

They go into the kitchen and Peyton shows Nathan the plate of cookies wrapped up with a perfect blue bow on the counter.

"Wow." Nathan breathes out.

"Yeah. She likes you Nate." Peyton says.

"She did this for me?" He asks in disbelief.

"Yep. Brooke just helped. It was her idea." She tells him.

"Wow." He says again.

"But when she gives them to you…_please_ act surprised. She'll kill me if she found out I told you." Peyton pleads.

"I will." Nathan laughs.

"Okay. Good."She laughs.

"So where are you going all dressed up?" he asks her.

She looks down at her attire. "Dressed up? No." she says shaking her head. "I just showered and put some clothes. I'm not going anywhere."

Nathan nods his head, not believing her at all. "Right."

"Alright _Brooke_." Peyton says sarcastically.

"Well, since you are all dressed up with nowhere to go…..Go on a date with me." He tells her confidently.

"Go on a date with you." She restates.

"Yeah." He says with more confidence, holding his hand out for her to take.

She turns around a walks over to the fridge. His heart sinks, he lowers his hand. She's turning him down, talk about mixed signals.

Peyton grabs the magnet pad from the fridge and takes a pen from the drawer and starts writing.

"What?" she asks feigning innocence. "I can't leave without leaving a note for Brooke." She smiles.

He extends his hand towards her once again and this time she takes it.

-

Brooke and Sawyer come back from the park to an empty house. They go into the kitchen and Brooke sees a note on the counter near the cookies.

_Brooke,  
I went out with Nathan.__  
We'll be home around six. If Sawyer's hungry order pizza.  
__Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I love you.  
Peyton._

Brooke shakes her head and laughs. "Baby Brooke, you want to order pizza?"

-

"You look beautiful." Nathan says to Peyton looking at her with passion.

She cocks her head. "You use that line on all the girls?"

"Just the ones I like." He says.

Peyton laughs. "Nice."

"So where are you taking me?" she asks him.

"There's this small place on the water that my mom used to take me to when I was little." Nathan tells her.

She takes his hand, the good one, and then it hits her they are going in their first date. Their first date in, well, ever. And she's nervous and excited and anxious all at once.

"You alright?" he asks looking at her. "You seem tense."

She shakes her head causing her curls to swing around. "I'm fine." She looks at him with a sideways glance. "You do realize this is our first date."

He thinks for a minute. "You're right." He looks down shamefully. "Sorry about that."

Peyton waves her free hand dismissively. "It's okay. We're here now right?"

"Right." He responds.

She plays with his fingers. "And it's your last night in town, so let's just make the best of it okay."

He nods his head and pulls her in, giving her a gentle kiss on the temple.

Nathan finds the perfect table overlooking the water. There was a cool breeze that swept by that made a Peyton shiver.

"So." Nathan says reading the menu. "What are you thinking on ordering?" he asks.

"Hummm. I don't know. Everything sounds so good." She responds reading the menu as well.

"Would either you care for a glass of wine?" The waiter asked

"Yes please. Two." Nathan answers.

They both look up from their menus at the same time. Peyton nervously bites her bottom lip and Nathan rubs the back of his neck.

"Nathan. I don't want you to go." Peyton says shaking her head. "I know I said I was cool with it, but…it seems like we're just starting over again you know?"

Nathan sighs. "Peyton, I don't want to leave." He says, "But you're right the team needs me, whether I can play or not."

Peyton nods her head. She knows, of course she knows, it just sucks.

"While I was packing this fell out of my hoodie." He says digging into his coat and pulling out the picture of Sawyer. "I looked at that picture and in an instant I changed my mind. I wanted to stay, but I remembered everything you've said to me."

"She was only a few days old." Peyton says looking at the picture with tears in her eyes.

"What happened Peyton? When Sawyer was born." Nathan asks. He's heard stories from Brooke and Haley, but he's never heard it from her.

Peyton sighs. "I had a rough pregnancy. That's why I called you that one time. I figured if you knew, then maybe you would want her, and she would know at least one of her parents."

-

_Peyton and Brooke just returned home from the doctors. The news was dismal. Life threatening condition is what the doctor called it, better off giving it up and trying again. But this was her baby, her baby with Nathan, she couldn't just give it up. _

_Peyton sat quietly on the sofa, not saying a word to Brooke._

_"Peyton. Talk to me. What's going through that pretty head of yours?" Brooke asked gently._

_She said nothing._

_Brooke sighed. She knew the situation was going to be tough, but the news that they received today made it ten times worse._

_"Honey, I was reading a book on it and it said that i could be deadly for you and the baby." Brooke informed her._

_"Placenta previa." Peyton said shaking her head. _

_She turned and looked at Brooke fiercely. "I'm having this baby."_

_Brooke nodded her head with tears threatening to escape her eyes. _

_"Call him. Nathan. You know...just in case." Brooke tells her._

_Peyton shakes her head._

_"Peyton, please. He needs to know." Brooke pleads._

_Peyton grabs her cell phone and dials his number, it rings four times before he picks up._

_"What do you want Peyton?" Nathan answers rudely._

_"Nathan..." She starts._

_"Look, I have practice in ten minuets, make this quick." He cuts her off._

_"Never-mind." She says hanging up the phone._

_She slowly looks over to Brooke, Brooke gets up and puts her arms around her best friend. They sit on the couch and cry together, for Peyton, for the baby, and for each other._

_-  
_

"It's a condition called placenta previa. There was the risk of hemorrhaging during birth…and I could've died." She says looking at her hands.

"Brooke was the one who made me call you…just in case, but…." She starts.

"I didn't know." He says guiltily. "Brooke conveniently left that part out when she came to North Carolina."

Peyton chuckles. "I didn't even know she came." Peyton grabs her purse and opens her wallet.

"Here. You should have this." She hands him a picture of Sawyer, she's older in the picture and she's wearing a huge smile. "Hang is up in your cubby hole or something."

Nathan takes it and laughs. "Thank you."

"She's starting to look like you, you know." Peyton states. "She has that infamous Scott smirk. It's gonna get her in trouble with the boys." Peyton says smiling.

Nathan's heart stopped. Boys. His little girl with boys. It never crossed his mind until now, and he started feeling defensive.

"Yeah not until she's thirty!" He says loudly putting his new picture of her in his wallet.

Peyton laughs. "Look at you getting all defensive. Nathan she's four and a half, she's got some time."

"I'm not very hungry anymore." Nathan says, still having the image of Sawyer with a boy in his mind.

Peyton gets up and extends her hand. "Come with me."

"Peyt, we didn't even get our wine." Nathan says looking around.

"They're taking too long. Come with me." She says again.

He took her hand and followed her. He watched as her hips slightly swayed as she walked. God, he didn't want to leave Tree Hill.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: There is a flashback in italics that is taken directly from season two…you may or may not remember it. It's a cute scene between Nathan and Peyton that I felt fit in perfectly with how my story is playing out. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

* * *

**

She brought him to the River Court.

"Peyton, the River Court?" Nathan asks bewildered.

"Okay, look there is a point to all of it." She says grabbing his hand.

He looks at her with his head tilted to one side, and his eyebrows raised.

Peyton takes a breath. "What do you see yourself doing for the rest of your life?"

"Umm. I'll probably play basketball until I can't play anymore." He responded.

"Okay, and who do you see yourself with for the rest of your life?"

He straightens up and smiles. "That's easy. You."

Peyton blushes and looks away smiling.

"Peyton, you and basketball are the only things that make sense in my life." He tells her.

She faces him again. "Okay, so six years ago this is kind of where our relationship ended. The whole one on one game with Lucas and all that." She says taking a deep breath.

Nathan is unsure of where she is taking this. He standing across from her; awaiting what she has to say next.

"And now, this is where I want our relationship to start." She finishes with a small smile.

Nathan lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and cracks a smile.

"Wait! Are you asking me out?" Nathan laughs.

Peyton's face reddens in embarrassment. "Nathan." She wines. "Come on, don't ruin this for me."

"Okay, okay." He stops laughing and gets serious. "What happened to taking it slow?" he asks.

"We are. I mean…you're going to Charlotte tonight, so now we can't rush into anything that we might regret." She answers.

"Okay, but we gotta do this the right way." He tells her.

She laughs. "What's the right way?"

He walks over to the picnic table that is at the River Court and takes a seat.

"You got a pen?" He asks her.

She digs in her purse and hands him one. "Here"

He pulls a piece of paper out of him pocket and jots something down. When he finished he folded the paper up and handed it to Peyton.

She took it from him and cocked her head.

She read what he had written. In Nathan's sloppy writing it read…

_**Will you be my girlfriend? Check YES NO or MAYBE.**_

She couldn't contain her laughter. She was laughing so hard that she dropped the note. Nathan sat on the bench and watched her in amusement.

"Well, what's your answer?." He asks.

Peyton bent down and picked up his note. She slowly walked over to where he was sitting and took his face in her hands and kissed him fiercely. He kissed back with the same intensity.

She pulled back first. Nathan sat there with his eyes closed, taking in the taste of her kiss.

"So I guess that was a yes." He says opening his eyes.

Peyton nods her head. Her phone rings, it's Brooke.

She answers it happily. "Hey B. Davis!"

"Oh, Hi. What's go you so happy?" Brooke rasps through the phone.

"Nothing. What's up?" Peyton asks.

"Well it's just that…its six thirty, and you said that you'd be home by six. And Sawyer's getting impatient." Brooke explained.

"Shit." Peyton says realizing the time. "I'm sorry Brooke, we lost track of time."

"I bet you did P. Sawyer." Brooke laughs into the phone.

"Brooke, it's not what you think." Peyton tries to explain.

"Whatever you say. Just get your asses home. Your daughter's waiting." She says hanging up the phone.

Peyton closes her phone and sighs.

Nathan notices and walks over to her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"We have to get back. Sawyer's waiting for you." Peyton says turning around and starts off home.

-

Meanwhile at home Sawyer and Brooke are decorating the house with streamers and balloons, bidding Nathan a fond farewell. It was Sawyer's idea, Brooke just bought the stuff.

"Aunt Brooke…" Sawyer says impatiently, tapping her foot. "The streamers need to be by the door too!"

Brooke looks at her with a glare. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you needed the whole _house_ streamered Sawyer."

"Yes. This has to be perfect for Nathan." She says. "He's going back to work."

Brooke can't help it but to smile. "I know baby girl. He's gonna love no matter what."

"Remember, we need to turn off the lights and yell surprise too!" Sawyer says holding a blue balloon.

"Sawyer, it's not his birthday." Brooke says confused.

"I know. But it's a surprise. Duh." Sawyer answers like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Whatever you say Sawyer Scott." Brooke says grabbing a balloon and turning off the lights.

-

Peyton and Nathan walk up to the front door hand in hand.

She puts her hand on the door to open it, but Nathan stops her.

"What was up back at the River Court?" he asks gently.

"It was nothing." She lies. "It's just…it hit me that you're really leaving tonight. And it sucks." She admits.

Nathan pulls her in for a hug. "Come here. I'll call every day, and I'll come up when I can."

She nods into his chest.

They break apart and Peyton opens the door.

She flicks on the lights and sees the whole house decorated in streamers and balloons.

Sawyer and Brooke jump out from behind the couch and yell "SURPRISE!"

"What is this?" Peyton asks clearly surprised.

Brooke stands off to the side and lets Sawyer explain everything.

"It's a party for Nathan." Her daughter answers running up to her giving her a hug.

Peyton lifts her up and gives her a kiss.

Nathan stands in the doorway shocked. He reads the giant sign that Sawyer and Brooke handmade.

**'Win lots of games Nate!'**

"Wow." Was all he could manage.

"We did it just for you Nathan." Sawyer says from her mother's arms.

Nathan goes to her and takes her from Peyton's arms and gives her a tight hug.

"Thank you." He says into her brown curls hair. "I love it."

Peyton and Brooke watched as father and daughter embraced.

"I couldn't stop her P. She really wanted to do it." Brooke says in a hushed whisper to Peyton.

Peyton looks at her best friend. "Thank you Brooke."

Nathan puts Sawyer down and she takes his large hand in her small one.

"I have another surprise for you." Sawyer says.

She drags him over to the counter where the cookies that she and Brooke made are.

"I made you cookies for you. So you can take them back to work." She says trying to reach them.

Brooke walks over and coughs loudly, getting the cookies for her.

"Umm, I mean me and Aunt Brooke made them for you." Sawyer smiles.

She takes them from Brooke's hands and holds them in her own.

Nathan glances over at Peyton who is watching what Sawyer is going to do next.

"Here. I hope you like them." Sawyer says sweetly.

He takes them from her and inspects them. "I love them." He tells her sincerely.

Sawyer looks over to Peyton with large eyes and runs to her. "Mommy! You were right! Nathan _does _love them!"

"See, I told you." She says to her daughter. Nathan looks at her with a frown on his face. "Hey sweetie, how about you give Nathan one last hug and kiss before he leaves. He's got to go."

Sawyers hugs him tightly and gives him a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Bye Nate. I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too kiddo." He says to her.

Brooke takes her hand and leads her towards the kitchen.

"Let's clean up our mess Baby Brooke." Brooke says.

Peyton and Nathan are near the front door watching Brooke and Sawyer. Sawyer turns around and gives Nathan one last wave goodbye.

Nathan waves back with a sad look in his eyes.

"You okay?' Peyton asks him.

He shakes his head. "She did this all for me….and she has no idea."

Peyton sighs. "Nathan, she loves you. And when we tell her, she's _still_ going to love you."

"Yeah." He says glancing at his phone. "It's getting late. I should go."

"Okay. Call me when you get there." She requests.

"I will." He gives her a warm kiss. "I love you Peyton."

"I love you too boyfriend." She smirks. "Bye." She says with one last wave as she watches him walk to his car and drive off.

-

"Okay, what was that about?" Brooke asks Peyton as she feels the water that is running out of the faucet in the bathtub.

"What was what?" Peyton asks innocently.

"Um being late, the googly eyes you and Nathan _both_ had when you walked in, and the kiss." Brooke said pouring in the bubble bath mix.

"How did you know about the kiss?" Peyton asked wide eye.

"I didn't." Brooke said shrugging her shoulder. "You just told me." Brooke said with a dimpled grin.

"Ass." Peyton says splashing Brooke with some water.

"He asked me out....Well I asked him, then he asked me." Peyton admits after a beat.

"So you two are a couple?" Brooke asks.

Peyton nods her head. "Yeah. We are."

"Good. I'm happy for you P." Brooke tells her honestly.

"Thanks." she responds.

"Sawyer Brooke Scott, you better get you little butt in here before the water gets cold!" Brooke yells.

Sawyer came scampering in with her bright pink robe on.

"Hop in girlfriend." Brooke tells her.

"Brooke, I'll do it." Peyton says as Brooke gently pours water over Sawyers head wetting her hair.

"P, your boyfriend just left town." She whispers. "I got this. Go watch TV or something." Brooke says louder than before.

"Yeah Momma, go watch TV or something. Aunt Brooke got this." Sawyer says laughing as Brooke makes a funny face.

Peyton throws her head back and sighs. "Fine. Fine."

-

Peyton did as she was told. She went downstairs to watch TV…or something. She had the TV on, but she wasn't really watching it, her thoughts were focused on Nathan. They were a couple. Dating. Boyfriend and girlfriend. It was complicated, that she knew, but it didn't matter. They were together and that's all that counted. And that was the easy part, being together; the hard part is going to be telling Sawyer that Nathan is her father, and not just a friend.

Her mind was scattered. She was thinking about a hundred different things at once. How will she tell Sawyer the truth, when is Nathan coming home, and where is she going to work. Shit, work, she's unemployed. This is just great. Then it hits her. So she calls the one person she knew could help her.

"Hey Peyton." Lucas says into the phone.

"Hey Luke." She says uneasily. "I'm sorry to be calling so late….it's just…I have a question."

"Peyt, it's no problem, what's up?" He asks her.

"Okay, this is going to sound crazy but…I wanna do an all age's night again." She says closing her eyes.

He was silent.

"Luke…" she questions.

"Yeah! That's a great idea Peyton. I mean Tric hasn't had one of those since the last time you did it….I think it would be great." He tells her seriously.

"Good." She breaths out. "Luke, can you just call your mom and ask her…I want to make sure it's okay with Karen."

"Yeah, sure. I'll call her." He tells her.

"Thanks Luke…I guess I'll talk to you later." She says.

"Yeah. Bye Peyton." He says hanging up the phone.

She puts her phone down on the table with a satisfied smile on her face.

Brooke comes down the stairs alone in her pajamas.

"Where's the squirt?" Peyton asks.

Brooke takes a seat on the couch across from her. "Sleeping believe it or not. It was a long day for her."

"Yeah it was." Peyton responds.

Brooke nods her head in the direction of the phone. "Who was that?" She asks.

"Oh…um…that was just Lucas." Peyton answers.

"And…" Brooke pries.

"And…I'm going to an all age's night at Tric again." Peyton says.

"Peyton! That's great!" Brooke says enthusiastically.

"Luke thought so too." Peyton says. "He's going to talk to Karen and make sure she's cool with it."

"I'm sure she will be. She was always great about those things." Brooke says to her.

"Yeah. Now I just got to get performers and I'll be set." Peyton says.

"Well, it's a good thing our friend is Haley James. She can hook you up." Brooke says watching TV. " Oh look it's Mouth."

On the television is Mouth with the sports entertainment news.

'_This just in. Hometown hero Nathan Scott of the Charlotte Bobcats injured his right hand this weekend while away for a family emergency. News is that he will be benched on Wednesday's game against the Celtics. No word on how long he will be gone from the game. More information to come. I'm Marvin McFadden and that's your sports news.'_

"Oh Mouth." Brooke says.

"Well, I guess his coaches know." Peyton says looking at Brooke.

"Yeah, I bet they know how." She says under her breath.

-

Nathan is sitting on the bench in the locker room. He takes out the new picture that he has of Sawyer. He pins it up right above his cubby hole, just as Peyton said to. He took out another picture that he carries with him; this one was on him and Peyton. It was an older photo of the two of them; he remembers her comment towards it as if it happened yesterday.

_Nathan sits on a chair playing a game on his cell phone, he's moving out of his old apartment that he had shared with Haley and Peyton's helping him do it._

_She walks in and puts a box down. _

_Peyton puts her hand on her hip. "Let me ask you something, are you not helping me move you because it brings back bad memories or because you're a lazy pile of crap?" She says cocking her head._

_He closes his phone shut and looks at her. He turns to the left and picks up a picture frame. "You mean…bad memories like these?" He asks handing her the frame._

_She walks over to him and takes it. It's a picture of her and Nathan smiling happily in their swim suits._

"_Oh God." She responds handing it back to him._

_Nathan takes it and laughs. "We started off the school year this way."_

"_Yeah, don't remind me." She says smiling slightly._

_He takes a look at the picture and then looks back at Peyton. "You were never happier."_

"_You were never hornier!" She retorts back wide eyed._

_He tilts his head to the side putting the frame down. "Oh yeah? You want some more of that magic?" he asks her flirtatiously. "Come here."_

_She smiles and shakes her head. "No. Com…No." _

"_Come on." He says taking her arm and pulling her onto his lap._

"_Okay stop!" She laughs as he tickles her._

_Brooke opens the door and sees the two of them together._

"_Will you stop!" Peyton scream._

"_Well, well." Brooke says with her hand on the door._

_Peyton instantly gets off Nathans lap and straightens herself out looking at Brooke._

"_First Lucas, then Jake, now Nathan. I guess slutty's in season." Brooke says tilting her head to the side with a slight smile on her face._

Brooke was the only reason things had stopped there. Who knows what would have happened if she never walked in.

He still had that picture. He would never tell Peyton, but he still had it. And since it's the only one that he has of the two of them, he's hanging it up right next to the picture of their daughter. He's done hiding his family.

He picks up his cell phone and calls his girl, just like he promised he would.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

* * *

**

There are papers all over the floor and two empty cups of coffee.

Peyton and Haley have been like this all day. The two of them are trying to get acts together for the all age's night. So far their attempts have been fruitless.

"I got in touch with Gavin DeGraw's agent and he's leaving for a tour in a week. So that's a no." Haley said crossing his name off the list with a pen cap in her mouth.

"Ugh. Okay. Well, looks like you're the only performer for this all age's night." Peyton says in a huff.

Haley's eyes go wide as something hits her. "Peyton! Do you remember the first one you did?" she asks enthusiastically.

"You mean how it was almost a huge disaster, then yeah, I remember that." Peyton says sarcastically.

"No. Do you remember who played?" Haley asks.

"Yeah, Chris Keller, you…..wait….no, no, no, no, no…Haley…you can't be serious." Peyton says understanding what Haley was talking about.

"Come on Peyton. He's really talented." Haley says trying to convince her.

"No Haley. You remember what happened last time he came to Tree Hill." Peyton says with finality.

She's referring to the time Chris Keller came to town and destroyed Nathan and Haley's marriage. Haley went on tour shortly after the Tric performance. Peyton remembers how devastated Nathan was that Haley left with him for that tour. She doesn't want to see Nathan hurt again.

"Peyton. That's not going to happen now. Nathan and I aren't together…and you can't sing!" Haley yells.

Peyton opens her mouth to respond but decides against it. She knows Haley's right, they are divorced, and Nathan's with her now…and she can't sing.

Peyton sighs deeply. "Fine. But I'm not calling him. You can."

"Ew. Fine…as long as he can perform." Haley says.

"Yes. He can perform." She responds.

"Good. So that makes two…Oh…" Haley says pushing a piece of hair out of her face. "What about Pete?"

"From Fall Out Boy?" Peyton asks incredulously.

"Yeah. Why not? I mean…they've performed here before. They know you." Haley says.

"I'll call him…see how it goes." Peyton says giving in.

Haley claps. "Yay! This is gonna be so fun!"

"Speak for yourself." Peyton says under her breath.

-

Brooke is standing in an empty store holding Sawyers hand. The two of them survey the space, the windows are covered up with brown papers and the floor is torn up and dirty.

A man walks closer to Brooke and Sawyer.

"So have you made a decision?" the man asks.

"Yeah. We'll take it." Brooke says, writing the man a check.

Brooke walks over to the door and rips off a piece of paper.

The writing in the window reads **Karen's Café**.

"It's perfect." Brooke smiles.

"It's dirty." Sawyer says looking around.

-

"P. Sawyer, you will never guess what we did today!" Brooke says entering the house with Sawyer in tow.

Peyton holds a finger up to her mouth to silence them, Haley's on the phone.

"Okay. Sure. Thanks Chris. I'll call again with a date and time. See ya." Haley said into the phone.

"Sorry." Brooke says quickly. "But you'll never guess what we just did."

Haley and Peyton look at each other. Neither of them have a clue what she's talking about.

"Tell em Baby Brooke." Brooke says to Sawyer.

"We bought a dirty old store!" Sawyer says enthusiastically.

Peyton laughs. "A dirty old store?"

"Brooke that doesn't sound good." Laughs Haley.

"Hey, it is not just _any_ dirty old store." Brooke says defensively. "It's the new home of Clothes Over Bros." She finishes with pride.

Peyton's eyes go wide. "Brooke, you bought a store?"

"Wow. Congratulations Brooke." Haley says.

"Not just any store." Brooke says biting her lip. "I bought Karen's Café."

"What?" Peyton asks loudly.

"I bought Karen's Café?" Brooke states as a question.

"Oh…well…um….Does Lucas know?" Haley asks.

"Nope." Sawyer says shaking her head. "Only me and Aunt Brooke."

"Does Karen know?" Haley asks gently.

"No. I kind of want to surprise them." Brooke says.

"I think its great Brooke. They're gonna love it." Peyton says nodding her head.

"Yeah. They are." Haley agrees.

"Good, I hope they do. Because I had a feeling about it…it just felt right." Brooke explains.

"Well hey, we just booked Chris Keller to play at Peyton's all age's night." Haley gloats.

Peyton groans. "Don't remind me."

Now its Brookes turn to laugh. "Seriously. Chris Keller. Man this is gonna be good."

-

"Seriously? Chris Keller?" Lucas asks sitting on his couch.

Since Tric is owned by Lucas and Karen, Peyton figured it was only fair to run by the set list by Lucas. She knew he wasn't going to be crazy about it, but she wasn't changing her mind either.

"Luke. We needed acts. And as much as it _kills_ me to say it…he's really good." Peyton tries to explain.

"What about…Gavin DeGraw…didn't he play at my mom's café once?" Lucas asks still not entirely convinced about Chris Keller.

"Yeah I know…and…and Haley called him it's just…he's leaving for a tour in a few weeks." She tells him.

Lucas squints his eyes. "So Chris Keller?"

"Lucas, I promise it'll be fine. He's really talented. And don't forget Haley James….And possibly Fall Out Boy." Peyton informs him.

"See. That's what I like to hear." Lucas laughs.

"Alright, alright." Peyton laughs too. "So…what about you?"

"What about me?" He asks.

"Life…what's going on with it?" She pries.

"I got a call actually." He says with a slight smile.

"From?" Peyton asks excitedly.

"Principle Turner. He wants me to coach the Ravens." Lucas explains.

"Lucas. That's awesome." Peyton says sincerely.

"Yeah. It is…it's just….I don't know if I can you know? After Whitey…filling in his shoes…" He says uncertainly.

"Lucas….you out all people can do this….they wouldn't have asked you otherwise." She informs him.

"I know." He says shaking his head.

"I believe in you. Take the job Luke. Whitey would have wanted you too." She says putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

-

It's the night of Nathan's game, and he'd called everyday just like he promised. Even though he's not playing, Peyton's watching the game. Brooke invited over Lucas and Haley, might as well have the gang over.

"Peyton…grab the chips while you're in there." Brooke yells from the couch with a can of soda in her hand.

"Yeah Mommy. Grab the chips." Sawyer mimics Brooke.

Haley looks over at her and laughs.

Peyton walks onto the living room trying to balance three chip bowls and two dips. Lucas notices her struggling and gets up to help.

"Here, let me get some of that." He says taking some of it off her hands.

Peyton walks over to Brooke and gives her the chips she knows she wants.

"Thanks. You're the best." Brooke says taking the bowl from her hand.

Peyton takes a seat next to Sawyer and runs her hand through her hair.

"Mommy. Where's Nathan…I can't see him?" Sawyer asks her mother.

"Sweetie Nathan's team is the one in the white…you see?" Haley explains pointing to the screen.

"Oh…now I see. Cool!" She says. "What number is he?"

"He's number 12." Haley answers.

They all continue to watch the game, Nathan isn't playing, he's benched. The camera man zooms in on him and the announcer begins to speak.

'_There he is, Tree Hill's Nathan Scott, benched this game due to a fractured right hand. Who knows how the Bobcats are going to do this game with their star player watching from the side lines. It sure is going to be an interesting night.'_

He's spot on. Instantly Sawyer's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Nathan's last name is Scott?" She asks innocently searching for her mother's eyes.

Peyton's green eyes went wide. Haley's jaw dropped. Lucas put his head down. And Brooke gasped. She never imagined her daughter to ever ask that question…ever. She looked to Brooke for help; she was just as lost as everyone else.

"My last name is Scott." Sawyer says excitedly. "Mommy. Me and Nate have the same last name!"

Everyone let out a breath. That was a close one, it could have been disastrous. Peyton didn't want to hide this from her daughter any longer. But she wouldn't do this without Nathan, they were a team now, and she knows how much this means to him.

"Well guess what?" Lucas says to Sawyer. "My last name is Scott too. Looks like it's pretty popular."

"Oh my gosh! Mommy, did you hear that. Uncle Lucas has the same last name as me and Nathan." Sawyer exclaims as if it is the coolest thing in the world.

"Wow! That's so cool baby." Peyton says trying to be as excited as her daughter is.

Haley and Brooke exchange looks. Brooke shakes her head, and Haley looks back at the TV.

"So…Broody. I have some news for you." Brooke says re-directing the conversation.

"I bought a store today….For the new home of Clothes Over Bros." She starts.

"Brooke. That's great!" Lucas says seriously.

"Yeah. I thought so too. Especially because of the location." She continues.

"Where is it?" Lucas asks her, interested in where her new shop is going to be.

Brooke smiles slightly and looks at Peyton and Haley for support. They both giver her encouraging nods.

"That's the thing…You've been there before." She says, hoping that he'll figure it out.

But he doesn't. He only seems more confused.

"I bought your mom's café." Brooke finally says biting her lip.

His eyes go wide with surprise. He doesn't say anything.

Brooke laughs uncomfortably. "Lucas…"

He finally snaps out of his daze. "Brooke. You couldn't have picked a better place." He says getting up and giving her a hug.

"You really think so?" She asks.

"Yeah. I do." He tells her quietly.

"What about your mom? Do you think she'll be mad?" Brooke asks.

"Mad? Never, she wouldn't want it in anyone else's hands." Lucas tells her honestly.

"Yes! Score. Two points Bobcats!" Haley yells from the couch.

"Geez Tutor Girl." Brooke laughs.

"Sorry. I just want them to win." She explains.

"Me too Hales." Peyton says.

-

The Bobcats won, but by the skin of their teeth. Sawyer was asleep before the game was even over. Lucas offered to carry her up to her room, and none of the girls' obliged.

"Well _that_ close tonight. Huh P. Sawyer?" Brooke said.

Peyton scoffs. "You think?" she said back sarcastically.

"It could have been a lot worse." Haley offers.

"I know. I know. I've got to tell her soon. I can't keep her in the dark any longer." Peyton said to no one in particular.

Haley's phone rang.

"Hey I have to take this real quick. I'll be right back." She said walking out the front door.

"Okayyyy." Brooke said shrugging her shoulders.

"I miss him Brooke." Peyton sighs.

"Peyton…He's been gone for three days." Brooke says easily. "You talked to him before the game too."

"It's not the same." Peyton says shaking her head. She pauses and turns to Brooke. "You still didn't tell Lucas."

"Hey. We're not talking about me…we're talking about you." Brooke says, desperate to change the subject.

"Not anymore." Peyton says with a smile. "When are you going to tell Lucas?"

"Tell me what?" He says coming down the stairs.

"Weird. I swear I hear Haley calling my name." Peyton says pointing to the door. "I'm gonna go see what she wants."

Peyton gets up quickly and leaves, leaving Brooke and Lucas alone in the living room.

"Tell me what?" Lucas asks again quietly, cocking his head to the side.

"Lucas. I don't know how to say this." Brooke says trying to find the right words. "But being here, in Tree Hill, it brings back old memories…and feelings."

She pauses taking a deep breath.

"I've tried to deny it. And I've tried to ignore it, but I can't." Brooke says looking away from him.

"Me either." Lucas says.

Her eyes snap back to him. "What?"

"Me either. Brooke, this whole time I've been lying to myself. I was holding on to Peyton because she was what I _thought_ I wanted." He tells her carefully. "But this whole time…it's been you. It's you, Brooke."

"Oh." She says letting out a breath. "Really?" She asks cautiously.

He goes over to where she is sitting and kneels in front of her. "Really."

"You don't know how long I've wanted to hear you say those words to me." She said with tears in her eyes.

He leans in slowly, and she takes in a sharp breath. He took that as his cue; he closed the space between them and kissed her. It was nothing like the last time they kissed. He wasn't drunk and confused about Peyton, and she wasn't putting her feelings aside for her best friend. He kissed her. Not hard, not passionate, not fast. It was slow and sweet.

"Wow." She says breathlessly as they break apart.

"Wow." He breaths out.

"So, what does this make us?" She dares to ask.

"What do you want it to be Pretty Girl?" He asks her.

"I want it to be everything it wasn't last time…_boyfriend_." Brooke says with a dimpled grin.

His blue eyes light up and he smiles.

The door opens and Haley and Peyton walk back in.

"Haley…do you smell that?" Peyton asks.

Haley sniffs the air in front of her. "Smell what?"

Peyton dramatically put her hands up to her heart. "Love."

"Oh…ew." Haley jokes, scrunching up her nose in mock disgust. "Okay. Brooke, Lucas I am very happy for you. Really, but if this new relationship resembles your high school relationship, I'm intervening." She jokes.

"Don't worry Hales. We're different now." Lucas says looking deeply into Brooke's hazel eyes.

"Yeah. We are." Brooke agrees.

-

They won the game, it was close as shit, but they still won. He hated not playing, it made him feel useless. Useless to the team because he couldn't play, and useless to his family because he couldn't be with them.

It was late, Nathan knew this, but he needed to hear her voice.

"Hello." She says.

He smiles at the groggy voice on the other side.

"Hey. I miss you." He tells her.

She sighs, and he can almost see her smile through the phone.

"Hi. I miss you too." Peyton tells him. "I watched your game."

"Yeah. We won." He says needlessly.

"I know. Sawyer watched too." Peyton yawns. "She found out your last name is Scott. She kind of put two and two together and figured out that you share the same last name."

Nathan's heart drops. He really hops she didn't figure out that he's her dad. Not yet anyway, he wants to be there with Peyton when she finds out. It's not supposed to happen like this.

"You're lucky she has your brains…she didn't figure it out." Peyton informs him. "Must be a Scott gene."

"Peyton…I'm coming home tonight." Nathan tells her.

"No. Don't, there's no need to. It's fine Nate, really." She reassures him.

"Fine, but I'm coming home this weekend." He tells her seriously.

"Okay." She responds. "Before we hang up, you should know that Lucas and Brooke are a couple." She laughs into the phone.

"Wait. What? I'm gone for three days and everything changes." He laughs.

"Yep. It's official. They are Brucas again." Peyton says.

"Brucas?" He asks.

"Brucas." Peyton yawns again.

"It's late. I'm sorry for calling. I just needed to hear your voice." He apologizes.

"It's okay. I'm glad you did. I kinda needed to hear yours too." She admits.

"I'll let you get back to sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He says.

"Nate…stay on the phone with me?" She asks quietly.

"Anything for you."

He lays in bed with the phone to his ear, listening to her shallow breathing as she falls asleep. He wishes he could be there with her, warm in her bed, watching her chest rise and fall as she breathes. The weekend. He cannot wait until the weekend.

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**Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter. Sorry about the Brucas relationship. This story is DEFF an N/P fic, and will be focused on their amazing relationship. But I do feel like each of them deserve their own small little relationships. I'm planning on writing one in for Haley too. A reviewer gave me a great idea for . I wonder if you guys have any guesses on who the mystery caller was for Haley. =)**

** Read & Review.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Here is the latest chapter of More Than Anyone. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.**

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The next morning Peyton woke up to the doorbell ringing a mile a minute. She knew Brooke could sleep though it and she knew Sawyer knows not to answer the door. So she gets up and looks at the time. Who the hell needs to see them this badly at seven thirty?!

She opens the door, and Lucas comes flying through.

"I got it!" He said excitedly.

Peyton rubbed her tired eyes and yawned. "Got what?"

"The job Peyt!" Lucas says grabbing her arms and shaking her slightly. "I'm the new head coach of the Tree Hill Ravens!"

Then she remembers. "Lucas! That's great! I'm glad you got it." She tells him sincerely.

"Yeah. Me too. It's just nerve wracking you know?" he says nervously.

"I know. But you're gonna be great Luke. Those kids aren't gonna know what hit em." Peyton says with a smile.

"Speaking of kids…The guys and I were wondering if you wanted us to take Sawyer for the day." Lucas proposes. "We know how busy you've been working on the all age's night."

Peyton considers what he's saying. He continues.

"I don't know, we could take her to the River Court and shoot some hoops with her. Skills can teach her hop scotch." Lucas explains.

Peyton laughs. "Hop scotch?"

Lucas chuckles and shrugs his shoulders. "We'll take her to the park."

"Who's going?" Peyton asks wearily.

"Me, Skills, Fergie, Junk…maybe Mouth." Lucas answers.

"And you all want to hang out with a four and a half year old?" she asks skeptically.

"Peyton, I just want to take my niece out for the day. Is that so hard to ask?" Lucas asks.

Peyton concedes. "Fine. Let me go wake her…Brooke's room is the second on the left…don't forget there's a four year old in the house." She teases as she walks up the stairs.

-

Sawyer was dribbling the basketball in her own little world on the blacktop of the River Court.

The guys were sitting on the bleachers and Lucas was standing up facing them.

"Look, she doesn't know Nate's her dad….So just don't say anything about it." Lucas informs the guys.

They all nod their head in agreement. None of them want to piss off Peyton or Nathan by spilling the beans about whose Sawyer's dad.

"Hey Sawyer Scott, show me what you got goin on little girl?" Junk yells getting up and walking over to where she is dribbling.

"Yeah Mini P. whattchu got?" Fergie says getting up as well.

Sawyer opens up quickly to the guys; she's acting as if she's known them for years.

"So you got that job man?" Skills asks Lucas.

"Yeah…yeah I did. I was kind of hoping that you would be my assistant coach…" Lucas asks without asking.

"Aiight dawg! You askin me to be your assistant coach?!" Skills asks getting excited.

Lucas laughs. "Yeah I am."

"Yo, dat's what I'm talking bout!" Skills says clapping his hands together.

"Good I'm glad you accepted. I can't do it on my own." Lucas admits.

"Don't worry Luke….We're gonna make Whitey proud." Skills says, still excited about his new job.

-

"Oh..okay…you can?... Well, yeah. That sounds great… Sure, I'll call you when I know more. Bye." Haley says hanging up the phone.

They are at it again, trying to get performers for the all age's night, only this time Brooke's helping. Well, she's not helping so much, she's just there.

"Who was that?" Peyton asks typing up the set list.

"Oh…uh, no one special. We might have another performer…I don't want to jinx it." Haley answers.

"I can't believe you let Lucas take _my_ Goddaughter out for the day. I mean really. What am I supposed to do now?" Brooke asks lying on the couch throwing one of Sawyer's stuffed animals in the air and catching it as it falls.

Haley and Peyton laugh.

"Brooke, how sad is it that you cannot function without a four year old in the house?" Peyton laughs.

"It is not sad Peyton. I miss hanging out with her. That's _all_." Brooke says defensively.

"Whoa." Haley says holding her hands up laughing.

"Tutor Girl, do not take her side on this." Brooke bites out.

"Hey, I didn't even know there were sides." Haley said aloud.

"There's not. Bitch is just being a Brooke today." Peyton says shooting a smile in Brooke's direction.

"I am not! Come on Peyton…basketball, you're letting your daughter play basketball with the River Court guys? Don't you want her to be a cheerleader like us?" Brooke asks sitting up getting frustrated.

"Brooke, it's not like she's making a career out of it. She's hanging out with her uncle." Haley explains rationally.

"Thanks Hales." Peyton whispers."Speaking of Lucas how did things go with him this morning?"

"Do not change the subject P. Sawyer. We are not discussing my love life with Lucas, we are discussing the fact that he has _my_ Baby Brooke." Brooke huffs.

"It's Lucas; she's fine with him Brooke. And the River Court guys are harmless." Peyton tells her.

"I know…I just feel like she's being taken away from us you know? Like now Luke and Skills and Fergie and Junk are gonna be like, her new favorite people. That she's gonna forget about us." Brooke says glancing around at Haley and Peyton.

Peyton gets up and takes a seat next to Brooke, pulling her in for a one sided hug. "She is never going to forget about us. You're her Aunt Brooke; you mean the world to her."

"Yeah Brooke, that little girl loves you." Haley adds.

The phone rings, Peyton gets up off the couch and answers it.

"Hello."

-

Sawyer was having a great time with the guys. Mouth showed up an hour later and they decided to play a game of three on three. Lucas, Skills and Sawyer against Fergie, Junk and Mouth.

"Luke, seriously. I suck at basketball." Mouth wined walking onto the blacktop.

"Mouth, we need the same amount of players on each team. And Sawyer's four…you'll be fine." Lucas said putting his hand on his friends shoulder.

It was a good game. There were times when the guys were actually playing Junk would steal the ball away from them, give it to Sawyer, and lift her into the air to dunk it. They had fun; Sawyer had fun that was the most important thing.

After their little game the guys took a break. They say on the bleachers talking about Lucas and Skills new coaching job. They were so deep in their conversation that they didn't even notice when Sawyer walked off and started standing on the picnic table.

Their attention was finally caught when they heard an ear piercing cry that came right from Sawyer's mouth.

They jumped off the bleachers and ran over to the small child. She was on the ground, clutching her arm, with tears streaming from her large green eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Sawyer. What happened?" Lucas asks her lifting her from the ground.

All she could do was shake her head and cry.

"I want Mommy!" She cried out. "I want Mommy!"

The guys looked at each other in fear. Sawyer was their responsibility, and they failed her. Peyton is going to kill them, Nathan was going to kill them….Brooke was going to kill them.

"Luke, man. Maybe I should call Skinny Girl." Skills offered.

Lucas nodded his head in agreement. He was trying his hardest to calm a screaming Sawyer.

"Alright, we're calling mommy now. Sawyer, tell Uncle Luke what happened." He soothes her.

She sniffles fiercely and takes a deep breath. "I…I was standing on the table…and….and I lost my balance and I….I…fell. I'm sorry." She tried to explain.

"Oh Sawyer. It's okay it was an accident. Don't be sorry." He says giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Peyton's gonna be pissed!" Fergie says.

"Nathan's gonna be pissed. We injured his kid." Junk says in a hushed whisper.

"It's probably broken...her arm." Mouth says glancing over at Sawyer and Lucas. "It doesn't look too good."

"Imma call Peyton now. She gotta know." Skills says taking his phone out of his pocket.

"Hey P. Sawyer." Skills says somberly. "There was an accident."

-

Lucas and the guys got to the hospital before Peyton and the girls. They were sitting in the waiting room while Lucas was attempting to fill out some of Sawyer's forms. They were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Peyton Sawyer.

Peyton came running in six minutes later looking for her daughter, with Brooke and Haley close behind.

"Luke!" She said running into his arms.

"Peyton. I'm sorry." He says into her shoulder.

"Where is she?" Peyton asks frantically breaking their embrace.

"She's in with the doctor getting X-rays…They think her arm is broken." Lucas explains. "She's been asking for you."

Peyton covers her mouth, trying to hold back her tears.

"I need to see her." She says.

"Come on Peyton. Let's ask the receptionist what room she's in." Brooke says weaving her arm through Peyton's. As she walks past Lucas she sends a glare his way.

Brooke walks up to the counter and pushes away a piece of hair from her face before she speaks.

"Hello. I'm Brooke Davis, my Goddaughter; Sawyer Scott was admitted here within the last ten minutes. Can you tell me what room she's in?" She asks the woman kindly.

"I'm sorry, but we can only give that information out to family." The older woman replies.

"I'm her mother." Peyton replies. "Where's my daughter?"

"The doctors just finished her X-ray, she's in room 313." She answers.

"Haley, we're going to go see her. We'll be a few minutes." Brooke says looking back at her friend before she takes off down the hallway after Peyton.

"Alright. We'll wait here." Haley responds kindly.

She turns to face Lucas and the guys. "What happened Luke?" Haley asked him gently.

"I don't even know. One minute were playing basketball having a great time, and then the next, she's on the ground crying with a broken arm." He explains.

"She's four and half Luke; you need to have your eyes on her at all times. I'm not saying that this is anyone's fault it's just….now she's hurt." Haley says slowly.

"Haley, it was for a few minutes. It wasn't Luke's fault." Skills says interrupting.

"I'm not saying it is, it just….it just sucks that's all." She tries to explain.

-

They get to room 313; they choose to stand outside the door before they enter, to compose themselves. Brooke goes to walk in, but notices that Peyton isn't following.

"Peyton…" She says.

Peyton shakes her head. "I don't know if I can do it Brooke. I can't see her hurting."

"Hey. She needs you right now. She needs her mom. You can do this, I'm right there with you." Brooke says gently persuading Peyton to enter.

They walk in together and see Sawyer's small body on the hospital bed. Her head hung slightly to the side, her green eyes closed.

The two of them slowly walk over to her bedside. Brooke takes a seat on the end of the bed, and Peyton moves the chair as close to her daughter as possible.

Peyton reaches out and grabs her daughters hand; the one that isn't in the cast.

A doctor walks in and puts a hand in Brooke's shoulder. She flinched.

"I'm sorry to disturb you. Which one of you is her mother?" The young doctor asked.

Peyton turns to her and replies, "I…I am."

"Okay Mrs. Scott, when your husband brought her in, he started filling out some of her forms. I just need you to finish them up, and once she wakes up and the drowsiness wears off you'll be able to take her home." The doctor informs her.

"I'm not…He's not..." She went to explain that Lucas is not her husband, but she didn't have it in her to explain. "Um…what exactly happened to her arm?" Peyton asks.

"Well, when she fell, she broke her fall with her arm, causing her ulna to snap. Simply put; her arm is broken. She'll be in the cast for a month or two. Depending on how quickly her bones mend. If that's your only question, I'll be on my way." The doctor explained.

"Thank you. What's your name?" Brooke asks.

"Doctor Green." She replies.

"Thanks Dr. Green." Brooke says back.

"You're welcome. She's a beautiful little girl." Dr. Green says smiling as she leaves the room.

Peyton gasps in realization. "Oh my God. I've got to call Nathan! Brooke, can you stay here with her in case she wakes up?" She asks getting up from the chair quickly.

"Yeah, sure. Go call him." Brooke responds taking the seat that Peyton had previously occupied.

-

Peyton left the hospital and took her phone out of her purse. She dialed his number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, you. Couldn't wait for me to call you huh?" Nathan said huskily into the phone.

She didn't respond. She was fighting back tears; she couldn't hold it in anymore she let out a small sob.

"Peyton." He said becoming alarmed. "Are you Okay? Is everything Okay?" he asked.

"No." She cried.

"What…what happened? Is it you? Is it Sawyer?" He continued to ask.

"It's not me." She says somberly.

"Peyton. Tell me what happened." He said loudly into the phone growing more nervous as the seconds went by.

Peyton sighed. "She was at the River Court with Lucas and the guys and she fell Nathan."

"Wha…well, is...is she alright?" He asked quickly.

"Mmm mmm. She broke her arm." Peyton whispers. "I need you here. She's gonna need you. We're gonna have to tell her."

"Shit." He curses into the phone. "Alright…look, I'm leaving now. I'll be there in less than an hour."

"Okay. Thank you." She said to him.

'You don't have to thank me for this Peyt. She my daughter." Nathan says as he takes a breath.

"Call me when you get here. I love you." She says desperately.

He sighs sadly. "I love you too."

-

Peyton walks back into the waiting room and see's everyone still there. Once they all see her, they stand.

"How is she Peyt?" Lucas asks.

Peyton sighs, "She has a broken arm, and she'll be in a cast for around two months."

"I'm sorry." He says again hanging his head.

"It's not your fault Luke. She's a kid." Peyton says taking a deep breath. "I just panicked. Sorry."

"Does Nathan know?" Lucas asked cautiously.

"Yeah. I just called him. He's on his way." She replied. "Look, you guys can go home. Once she wakes up we'll be leaving. You don't need to stay."

"P. Sawyer. We feel responsible; Mini P. was in our care. We let you down." Skills said to her.

"Skills." She says giving him a hug. "You did not let me down. She's a kid, these things happen."

"We're still sorry." He said.

"It's alright. Now go! I'll call you guys when we get home." She says watching them all leave.

-

He wasn't thinking straight, as a matter of fact he wasn't thinking at all. Everything he would pick up, he would throw into his duffel bag. His mind was scattered; he was trying to focus on a million things, his daughter, Peyton, his hand, and basketball.

Once his bag was packed, or somewhat packed, Nathan grabbed his keys and did what he had to do. But there was one place he had to stop before he left for Tree Hill.

-

"Nathan! It's good to see you." Frank says merrily from his desk. "What brings you by?"

"My daughter." Nathan admits.

Frank laughs. "Oh Nathan. Your daughter? What are you talking about? You don't have any kids."

"The thing is…I do, and she's in the hospital, so I'm leaving for Tree Hill now." He informs Frank.

"We have practice tonight. Nate, you're not going anywhere." Frank demands standing up from his seat.

"I'm going." Nathan says with finality.

"If you leave…you're benched for the rest of the season!" Frank says growing angry that Nathan is ignoring his demand.

"Fine! Then I'm benched. I can't play anyway." Nathan says angrily turning on his heel to leave.

But he changes his mind; instead he turns around and looks Frank in the eyes. "Mr. Mauro, do you have children?" he asks slowly.

Frank sighs. "Two girls." He responds.

"Then you know what it feels like. You know that if they were hurting, you would do anything in your power to help them. The fact that....that you would put aside your own happiness for them." Nathan says passionately. "Don't make me decided between my daughter and my career. Because you know I'm gonna choose her."

Frank rolls his eyes and sighs nodding in the direction of the door. "Go. Be with your family."

-

Nathan was right; he got to Tree Hill in less than an hour. He pulled up to the hospital, parked his car and ran inside. He quickly went up to the front desk and asked for his daughter.

"Uh…..What room is Sawyer Scott in?" He says frantically in a rushed breath.

"Sir, you need to calm down." The same woman tells him.

"NO! You need to tell me what room my daughter is in!" He yells slamming his good hand on the counter.

"Sir! Lower your voice. If you would just…." She starts.

"I'm her father. I need to see her! Where is she?" Nathan yells.

Down the hall Brooke and Peyton hear yelling, so the take a peek out from Sawyers room. They are surprised to see Nathan there yelling at the receptionist.

Brooke and Peyton run down the hallway. Brooke gets there first.

"Ma'am, please pardon our friend here. He's just upset about his daughter." Brooke explains trying to push Nathan away from the desk. She turns to them. "I'm gonna go back to her room."

He runs his hand through his hair in frustration, and notices Peyton standing near him. He moves closer to her and wraps her in his arms.

"Where is she?" He asks into her hair.

"Room 313. She's asleep." Peyton responds looking deeply into his blue eyes.

He looks terrified. "Is she Okay?" he asks meekly.

"She's got a broken arm." She shrugs looking at Nathans hand. "Looks like you two have more in common the just your last name now huh?"

She takes his good hand in hers and leads him down the hallway. It's time that Sawyer finds out who her father is.


	17. Chapter 17

**Here it is the big reveal. I'm a little unsure on how I feel about this chapter. It's what I wanted; I'm just not sure if it came out the right way. Regardless, read and enjoy. Leave reviews tell me how you feel, it helps me write.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

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Brooke figured she leave Nathan and Peyton to talk alone. It was their daughter that was injured; she should leave them to talk about it alone. So she went back into Sawyers room to see if she was up yet.

She stepped in and she saw Sawyer struggling to sit up.

"Hey, baby girl, you're awake. Let me help you there." Brooke says rushing over to her bedside to help. "How you feeling?"

Sawyer's large green eye look up to her aunt, tears are threatening to fall and she sniffles. "It hurts."

"I know. It's gonna hurt for a while, but you'll be better soon." Brooke says rubbing her head soothingly.

"Aunt Brooke?" She questions. "That lady thought Uncle Luke was my daddy."

Brooke sucks in a breath. Where is Peyton when you need her? "Yeah, I know." She answers uneasily.

"Is he?" Sawyer asks quietly.

Brooke's eyes go wide. "What? Uh...no, sweetie. No, Lucas is your uncle…he's um, he's not your dad."

Sawyer looks away with slightest hint of disappointment in her eyes and lets out a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asks cocking her head to the side.

"I don't have a daddy. Just a mommy." Sawyer says quietly. "Maybe Uncle Lucas could have been my dad."

"Okay." Brooke breaths out under her breath. "Honey, everyone has a dad. Even you." Brooke says kissing her on the forehead. "Just not Lucas."

As soon as Brooke finished saying that Peyton and Nathan walked in.

"Nathan!" Sawyer shouted happily from the bed.

Brooke shot up out of the chair she was sitting in and plasters on a forced smile.

"Thank God you guys are here. Sawyer's awake!" Brooke says clapping her hands together.

Nathan rushed over to her bedside, just as Brooke had done seconds before. He gave her a small kiss on her head and rested his forehead against hers.

"I missed you Nate." She said to him quietly.

"I missed you too Sawyer. I missed you too." He responded.

Brooke went over to Peyton and shifted uneasily.

"Brooke…what happened?" Peyton asks noticing her demeanor.

Brooke sighed deeply. "Let's talk in the hallway." She proposed.

"Okay, don't hate me, but…Sawyer was asking about her dad…She uh….she asked me if…if um…if it was Luke." She told Peyton.

Peyton too started to shift uncomfortably. This was her biggest fear, Sawyer asking about her father and not getting the answers from her.

"Well what did you say?" She asked Brooke.

Brooke looked away for a moment, and then back to Peyton. "I told her that Lucas wasn't her dad, that he was her uncle…Peyton, she looked so sad when I told her that…like, like she wanted him to be her dad…she's never acted like this before." She said.

Peyton took a deep breath and looked up to the ceiling. "I know."

"There's more…she said she didn't have a daddy…only a mom. Peyton! What was I supposed to say to that?" Brooke said growing nervous.

"What did you say to it Brooke?!" Peyton asked just as nervous.

"I told her that everyone has a dad…even her. Just not Luke….I swear I didn't say anything about Nathan. I wouldn't do that to you P." Brooke said with tears shining in her eyes.

"It's fine." Peyton breaths out, relieved Brooke handled it so well.

"Look." Brooke said after a beat. "I'm gonna head home okay. You two do what you gotta do. I'm only a phone call away." She said giving Peyton a hug.

"Thanks Brooke." Peyton responds pulling away.

Brooke nods. "You're gonna be fine." She promises, sending a wink her way before she disappears down the hallway.

-

Peyton entered the room and noticed Sawyer's head thrown back in laughter at something that Nathan had said.

"So I guess you're feeling better." Peyton said taking a seat on the corner of the bed.

"Nathan's funny Momma. He said that we have matching casts." Sawyer giggled.

"Is that right? Matching casts? That's pretty cool huh?" Peyton says trying to keep the conversation light for the time being.

"Yep." Sawyer respond. "OOOH! And we have matching last names too! Right Momma?" She says excitedly.

Peyton shifts on the bed. "Right."

Nathan looks at Peyton. He raises an eyebrow, causing her to look away.

This wasn't as easy as she thought it was going to be. Knots started forming in her stomach, she couldn't do this. It wasn't the right time. Was it? Is there ever going to be a right time?

"Uncle Lucas has the same last name too. Did you know that Nathan?" Sawyer asks him.

"Yeah…he's uh…he's my brother." Nathan says cautiously.

Sawyer gasps. "That's so cool. I always wanted a brother."

Her comment causes Nathan's head to swing in Peyton's direction.

Her comment causes Peyton to choke in embarrassment.

She cleared out her throat. "Okay. Sawyer, you're not getting a brother." Peyton says with finality.

Nathan locks eye with Peyton. He smirks, raising an eyebrow. "She's not?" He asks.

Peyton glares at him. "No. She's not."

Sawyer furrows her brow in frustration.

"Sawyer. Sweetie, we have something to tell you." Peyton says with a breath.

"Aunt Brooke already told me." Sawyer guesses, a dad still fresh on her mind.

"Told you what?" Peyton pries.

Her daughter huffs. "My dad. It's not Lucas."

Nathan looks at Peyton curiously. She shakes her head.

"Honey…why would you think Lucas was your dad?" Peyton asks quietly.

Sawyer shrugged her shoulders. "The doctor said he was…and…and I don't have one."

"Is that what you think? That you don't have a dad." Peyton says sadly.

Sawyer nods her head somberly.

Peyton looks away. It was her fault that Sawyer feels like this, she and Brooke never brought up that fact that Sawyer in fact did have a father. It didn't help that Nathan was a complete ass for the last five years. But that's all changed now, Nathan is here, and he wants to be in their lives. Sawyer has a father, and he's pretty great.

"Sawyer, you have a dad." Peyton says putting a finger under her chin.

Their haunted eyes meet each other and a stray tear falls down Sawyers cheek.

"You have a dad." Peyton says again wiping away the tear. "And he's right here."

Both pairs of green eyes look over at Nathan.

-

Brooke was nervous; she knew they were going to tell Sawyer that Nathan is her dad. It was time, it's been too long that they haven't been a family, and they deserve that. But she was still nervous, she was nervous for Peyton, and especially for Sawyer. None of them had any idea how she is going to take it.

So she went to the only place that came to her mind; Luke's house.

He got up when he heard a knock on his door.

"Brooke. Hey what are you doing here? Is Sawyer alright?" Lucas asked her putting his hands on her shoulders.

She instantly relaxed. "Nathan's back. They're gonna tell her."

"Come inside." Lucas says closing the door.

They take a seat on the couch and Haley walks out of the kitchen with a soda in her hand.

"Oh. Hey Brooke." Haley says surprised.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company Luke…I don't wanna dump my problems on you." Brooke says getting up from the couch. "I'm gonna go."

Haley notices the tension in the air and walks right back into the kitchen.

"Wait! Brooke!" Lucas says loudly getting up as well. "Wait! That's what couples do…they dump their problems on each other."

She lets out a small sigh. "I know. I know. I'm just a little stressed out right now." Brooke looks in the direction of the kitchen and laughs. "Hales, you can come out now."

Haley peeks her head out. "Are you sure? You're not gonna kill me?" She jokes walking back into the living room.

"No! I'm not. I'm sorry." Brooke apologizes.

"You're forgiven. What's goin on? Weren't you and Peyton staying at the hospital with Sawyer?" Haley asks taking a sip of her drink.

"Yeah, we were, and then Nathan showed up. Which is great, he should be there, but…they're gonna tell her." Brooke informs them.

Lucas and Haley look at each other. Haley speaks.

"You're nervous about how she's going to react huh?" Haley asks.

Brooke nods her head.

"Sawyer loves Nathan. They should be fine." Lucas says attempting to reassure her.

"Luke's right. She adores him." Haley adds.

"You're right. You're right. I'm just overreacting, again." Brooke admits.

"How did Peyton seem?" Haley asks her.

"She seemed just as nervous." Brooke says playing with her hands. "Before Nathan and Peyton came in the room Sawyer was asking about her dad. The um…the doctor though you were her father." She says looking at Lucas. "So, Sawyer…kinda, thought you were her dad too." Brooke bit her lip.

Haley spit out whatever was in her mouth. "I'm sorry."

Lucas' eyes went wide.

"Yeah. That's how_ I_ felt. So I told her that you're _not_ her dad, that you are her uncle and that everyone has a dad." She continues to tell them. "Can you believe that she thought she didn't even have a one?"

"Geez. Poor kid." Haley says after Brooke's story.

"Brooke, remember what you told me when you first came back to Tree Hill?" Lucas asks her. "Things are gonna be Okay, it may not seem like it now, but things are gonna be Okay."

She smiles at him. He remembered. She knew there was a reason why she fell in love with him so many years ago.

-

"Peyton…" Nathan says looking at her nervously.

"Sawyer." She says looking at her young daughter, taking a deep breath. "Your dad's Nathan." She says quietly.

Sawyers emerald green eye lit up and looked straight at Nathan. "You?" She asks pointing at him.

He nods his head slightly. "Me."

Sawyer looked back over to her mother hopefully. "Really?"

Peyton too nodded her head. "Really."

"I do have a dad." Sawyer said to no one in particular.

Hearing that Nathan relaxed a bit. He had been mentally kicking himself the entire time Peyton spoke. It was his fault that they had to be having this conversation. If he never left, Sawyer would have known that he was her father.

"You want to tell me what you're thinking?" Peyton asks her young child.

"Nathan's my daddy." Sawyer states in awe.

"I am." Nathan says getting closer to Sawyers bed. "I'm so sorry I was gone for so long. I've been a pretty bad guy lately."

She puts her small hand on his much larger one. "It's Okay. I forgive you."

Nathan bows his head, a single tear slides down Nathans cheek. "That's all over now. I'm not going anywhere ever again." He promises.

Sawyer wipes the tear from his face. "Good."

Peyton watches as the two interact as father and daughter for the first time. Four year, four whole years they've miss out on this. It's been too long; they can finally be they family that Peyton has always dreamt of them being.

"Are you Okay with this Sawyer?" Peyton asks cautiously.

Sawyer nods her head. "I have a dad."

-

Haley gets up to put the empty glasses in to the sink, leaving Lucas and Brooke alone.

"What's going on Pretty Girl?" He asks looking at her longingly.

She shakes her head. "Nothing. Just thinking."

"About anything specific?" Lucas asks.

"My store." She says with a perfectly dimpled smile. "I can't wait till it's open."

Lucas breaths out contently. "Me either. You're changing the world Brooke Davis."

Brooke looks into his blue eyes and smiles. She leans in a gives him a gentle kiss on the lips, he deepened the kiss turning it into a full on make-out session.

Haley walks in right in the middle and covers her eyes with her hands. "Oh! Ew!"

They break apart. Brooke still has her eyes closed with a embarrassed smile on her face.

"Thanks Tutor Girl." Brooke says sarcastically.

"Sorry. I didn't know that me leaving the room for five seconds was your cue to make-out like teenagers." Haley jokes.

They laugh, Lucas stares off into nowhere. "I wonder how Sawyers taking the news."

"Me too." The girls say at the same time.

-

Dr. Green walked into Sawyer's room to see if she was awake or not. She was surprised to see Sawyer up and ready to go.

Peyton was in the middle of helping her put her coat on when Nathan signaled to her to look at the doorway. She did, and Nathan took over putting Sawyer's coat on.

"Oh. Dr. Green, Sawyer's been up for a few minutes, I was just putting her coat on and then we were going to sign out." Peyton said apologetically.

"It's fine Mrs. Scott." Dr. Green said with warm eyes.

"Oh, no. I'm not Mrs. Scott, I'm not even married." Peyton corrected.

"Not yet." Nathan said, loud enough for on her to hear.

She turned around and shot him a glare, only to receive a smirk back.

"Oh. I'm so sorry…I just thought…" The doctor began.

"It's fine…Simple mistake." Peyton said forgiving her, she turns around pointing to Nathan. "This, is Nathan, he's um…"

Nathan walked over to Dr. Green and extended his good hand toward her, shaking it. "I'm Sawyers dad."

I'm Sawyers dad. Never in a million years did he think he would ever have the opportunity to say those three words aloud. It was the best feeling in the world to be able to claim her, and be proud of it.

"It's very nice to meet you." Dr. Green responded. "Wait…You're Nathan Scott. Wow, I'm a really big fan." She says in awe searching for a pen. "Would you be able to sign this for my husband…he won't believe this."

Peyton took a step back and lifted Sawyer off the bed into her arms. Sawyer put her good hand up to her mother's ear as if to tell a secret.

"Mommy, what is Daddy doing?" She whispered.

A smile broke out on Peyton's face hearing her daughter call Nathan 'dad'.

"He's signing an autograph baby. Remember how Aunt Brooke used to do that too?" Peyton tried to explain.

Sawyer nodded her head in remembrance.

"Thank you so much Mr. Scott. I sure hope your hand heals quickly. Wouldn't want the Bobcats to lose the rest of the season." Dr. Green says with a smile. "Be careful going home. Bye."

"Bye." They answered.

Sawyer had her head on Peyton's shoulder her eyes threatening to close.

"Peyt. Let me take her." Nathan says reaching out for her.

"Thanks." She replies subconsciously tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Nathan walks out first. Peyton goes to the front desk and sighs Sawyer out, throwing her head back realizing something.

"Shit." She says under her breath.

"What?" Nathan asks turning around.

"Brooke has the car." Peyton says with a sigh.

"I have mine. Don't worry about it. I'll drive you." Nathan says with a small smile.

Peyton smiles and kisses his cheek.

-

Sawyer was once again sleeping; it was a rough day for her. Full of fun, basketball, and hospitals, too much for a four year old. Nathan and Peyton drove in silence.

"Would you be able to watch her for a half hour?" Peyton asks suddenly turning to him.

"Sure. What's up?" He asks.

She shrugs her shoulders. "I wanna visit my mom."

Nathan nods his head. He knows how much her mother means to her. If she wanted company she would have asked, he can respect that. So he'll watch his daughter in the mean time, he would do it regardless.

They pull up to the cemetery and Peyton looks at him with her hand on the handle.

"Thanks. Uh, here's my key…I don't know if Brooke's home, but in case she's not take these." She says handing him her house keys.

"Call me when you're ready." He says to her.

She smiles coyly and leans in for a kiss. He leans in as well and gives her a passionate kiss before she exits the car.

As she walks further away from the car she turns around and gives him one last wave before he drives off.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm not really sure what I had planned for this chapter…but it definitely wasn't what came out. It's not nearly as long as I'd like it to be, but it didn't feel right adding anything else to this chapter.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

* * *

**

Peyton walked to her mother's grave in silence. She made two pit stops before she got to her final destination.

She knelt down in front of the headstone and smiled.

"Keith. It's been a long time." Peyton said smiling.

"I want you to know that Lucas is doing great…but you probably already know that. You'd be so proud of him if you were here. He's a good man." Peyton smiles again, she kisses her hand and touches the headstone. "We miss you Keith."

Peyton makes her next stop before her mom. Whitey.

"Hey Coach. I miss you." She chuckles. "You would never believe everything that's happening if you were here. Nathans back…and they all know about Sawyer." Peyton looks to the sky and sighs. "She broke her arm today. I know she's a kid, and these things happen but I panicked. She'll be fine though." She wiped away a stray tear that fell. "And we told her today, that Nathans her dad. God I don't know if it was the right time, or if she's too young but, we did. Coach I wish you were here…Nathan needs you." She hung her head. "Alright, I'm gonna go see my mom; let her know I'm coming." Peyton chuckled. "I'll bring Sawyer with me next time. Bye."

She finally got to her mother and she cried.

"Hi Mom." She knelt down. "I miss you, and I really need you right now." She sobbed. "Ugh, today Sawyer broke her arm, and we told her that Nathan's her dad. And I know thing are supposed to be getting better but I don't know how much more I can take. At least I have Brooke, she's great you know, but she has her own life too…I can't hold her back from that." Peyton traced her mother's name with her finger. "I really wish you were here. I'm falling in love, with Nathan, and it's scary…and I'm scared I'm going to get my heart broken again…I don't know what to do. It would be really nice if you could give me a sign right about now." She waited, sometimes things work in strange ways. "No, nothing. Okay. I should be getting back. They're probably wondering what's taking so long. I love you mom. Say hi to Ellie for me." Peyton says as she kisses her hand and touched the headstone, just as she did to Keith's.

She takes her phone out of her pocket and calls Nathan.

-

Nathan pulled up to Peyton's house. He sat in his car with his head back for a few minutes replaying everything that has happened today. He looked back at Sawyer and saw her still in a peaceful slumber. He gently took her out of the car and into his arms, careful not to wake her. Nathan opened the door and noticed all the lights still on and papers and fliers scattered all over the floor, nothings been touched since Peyton got that dreaded phone call.

He took his daughter upstairs, took off her coat and gently laid her down on her bed. He stood back and admired her; she was beautiful, a perfect mix of him and Peyton. She had Peyton's penetrating green eyes, and her chickeny legs, she had his nose and his raven colored hair. They did good; she's everything he could have imagined and more. He's dreamt of being a family with them for years; and now the day has finally came.

Nathan left Sawyer upstairs so she could sleep, he returned to the living room and attempted to clean up the mess on the floor when the door opened.

"Nathan." Brooke said startled, putting her hand in her heart. "I saw a car parked outside and I got nervous."

"It's just me. Sawyer is upstairs sleeping and Peyton is at the cemetery." He informed her.

She nodded her head. "How'd it go?" She asked.

Nathan sighed. "Not that bad." He shrugged his shoulders. "She knows, so I'm going to be here from here on out."

Brooke smiled. "It's about time Hot Shot." She said going over to him and giving him a hug.

Nathan laughed hugging her back.

"Take care of them. They're your family. They're your responsibility now." Brooke said with a twinkle in her eye.

"I will Brooke. I never plan on leaving them again." He tells her.

"Good. Because I don't know if we can survive it if you do." Brooke says sadly.

Nathan takes a seat on the couch and puts his head in his hands.

Brooke looks at him sadly and takes a seat beside him. "Look, Nate, I don't want to make you feel bad, but you gotta know what you're up against."

He nods.

"If you leave them, not only are you destroying Peyton, but you're destroying that little girl. And I'm not sure if_ I_ can help them." Brooke says putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"This is going to be hard huh?" He asks finally looking up.

"No one ever said love was easy." She answered with a slight smile. "But you're gonna get through it."

"Things are supposed to get better." Nathan says aloud.

"They will. Life works in funny ways sometimes." Brooke says looking off into nowhere. "Things have to get worse before they can get better."

At that Nathan's phone rings.

"It's Peyton. I need to go pick her up." Nathan says standing.

"Go…I'll be here with Sawyer." Brooke says gesturing toward the door.

Nathan nods one last time and leaves.

-

Peyton is leaning against a tree when Nathans car pulls up. She smiles when she sees him waiting for her.

She opens the door and gets in. He starts driving.

"I love you." She said out of the blue.

Nathan chuckled lightly. "I love you too."

"No. You don't understand. I'm falling in love with you, all over again. And I'm scared…." Peyton admits.

Nathan brakes and pulls over to the side of the road.

"Peyton. I'm in love with you." Nathan blurts out. "I've never stopped loving you, even when we weren't together, I was in love with you."

"Nathan…" She starts.

"No. You don't need to be scared. I'm not going to leave you, or our daughter." He says, his voice quivering. "Ever."

Peyton sniffles, trying to hide the tears that are threatening her eyes. "Good. Because I really need you here."

"I'm not going anywhere." He promises.

She leans in and kisses him passionately. He kisses back with just as much force; he runs his good hand through her blonde curly hair, pulling her in closer. She made a small noise causing him to groan. He's missed this; being close with her, all the sounds she makes and all the ways her body moved with his. And even though today has been one hell of a day, she still looks beautiful.

He wants her; he wants every piece of her, every inch of her, forever. She's his girl and he's never wanted her more. Nathan takes his hand out of her hair and lowers it to her waist. But she pulls back, breaking the kiss before things went too far.

Nathan sighs and puts his head down.

"I'm sorry….It's just, we're in your car." She says with a small laugh.

"I know." He laughs.

"But I want to." Peyton says quietly.

He lifts his head in surprise. "You do?"

She smiles widely. "Of course I do. I'm in love with you."

At that moment Nathan can't contain it anymore. He's in love with her and he wants to show the world. Life is short, and he wants to spend every waking moment of his life with her and their daughter.

"Marry me Peyton Sawyer."

-

Brooke sits on the couch alone. Nathan left to go pick up Peyton and Sawyer is sleeping. She needed to do something; she couldn't just sit there and do nothing, she needed busy work. So she looked to the ground; they left a mess when the left for the hospital and she was going to clean it.

She got up and started to organize Peyton's papers as best she could without screwing up any system Peyton may or may not have had. She picked up a piece of paper that had nothing but Peyton's artwork on it. It wasn't anything special; just simple words in script:

_-Peyton & Nathan -  
What's meant to be will be._

_Peyton Sawyer will become Peyton Scott__._

Brooke couldn't help but smile, her best friend was in love again, and so was she. It's a funny thing, love; it has them acting like teenagers all over again.

-

"Nathan…" She says dumbstruck.

"Marry me. I know you think I'm crazy and, and I don't even have a ring, but…marry me. I'm in love with you and I don't want to spend another day apart." Nathan says passionately.

"Oh…You're serious…" She says playing with her hands. "Oh God."

"No, no, no. Peyt. Don't panic." Nathan says grabbing her hands.

"Nathan! You can't just ask me to marry you." She says loudly taking her hands back from his grasp.

"Why not?" He asks.

"Because…there are a lot of things we have to talk about." Peyton says trying to reason with him.

"Like what? I love you. And you love me, there's nothing left to talk about." Nathan replies.

Peyton sighs. She wants to say yes, she really does. This has been part of her dream for the last five years, and now he's here being a father to Sawyer and asking her to be his wife. So what's stopping her.

"Nate…" She goes to speak.

"Peyton." He sighs. "We're not getting married tonight."

"Okay." She breathes out shakily.

"What…did you, did you think we were going to get married tonight?" he asks.

She looks up at him through her lashes. "I don't know. Kinda." She laughs.

"Peyton. I want to do this the right way this time. The next time I get married it's going to be forever, and it's going to be with you." Nathan says.

"Yes." She says.

"And if I have to wait…wait. What did you say?" Nathan asks mid ramble.

"Yes. Yes." Peyton says grabbing his face kissing him hard on the lips.

"I'm gonna love you forever." Nathan says kissing her.

-

The two got back to Peyton's house an hour later. They didn't have sex in the back seat of his car, even though she did want him, but they did made-out like love sick teenagers, just like they used to do in high school.

Peyton unlocked the door and when she did Nathans lips were instantly on hers again. They stumbled to the couch knocking into the side table causing the lamp to fall.

"Shh." Peyton says putting a finger to her lips laughing.

"Sorry." Nathan laughs.

"It's okay…" She says looking around. "Sawyer's upstairs?"

"Yeah. Brooke's here." Nathan answers straightening out his coat.

Peyton makes her way upstairs to check on Sawyer, Nathan follows close behind.

They get to her room and see the door open. Peyton smiles at the scene in front of her. Brooke and Sawyer are cuddled up together on Sawyer's twin size bed.

Peyton leans into Nathans side and rest her head on his chest. He wraps his arms around her and kisses the side of her head.

"Should we wake her?" Peyton asks quietly.

"Nah. Leave them for tonight." Nathan says into her hair.

She turns around to face him; he lowers his head and kisses her gently.

"Come with me." She demands, grabbing his hand pulling him in her direction.

"Peyton. It's getting late, I should get going." Nathan says reluctantly.

"Stay the night. For Sawyer, she'll freak if she wakes up and you're not here." Peyton says turning around.

"For Sawyer?" He asks.

Peyton shrugs her shoulders innocently. "Maybe for me too."

He runs his hand through her hair and looks deeply into her eyes. They get to her bedroom and she closes the door.

"God, I cannot wait to marry you." He says passionately lowering her onto the bed.

This day just got a whole lot better.

**Read & Review =)**


	19. Chapter 19

**I want to thank cabot007 (Monica) & DKnAK for parts of the new story line…There are two new character that will be introduced in this chapter, one won't be around too, long just long enough. Hope you like it. =)**

**A/N: Just so you know, I'm not that great with writing love scenes…So I do what I can and you guys can fill in the blanks. Another thing; there are two scenes in here and part of them are taken from season 5, you may or may not remember it. They are not direct, but the work with my storyline. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

* * *

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Nathan lowers her onto the bed with ease; he looks down at her and smiles before kissing her deeply. She bites her bottom lip seductively and begins tugging at the button on his jeans, squirming beneath him.

"Peyton…" He says hesitantly breaking apart for only a second.

"No. It's okay, I want to." She answers nodding her head.

"You sure?" he asks one more time.

She doesn't even answer, he can see it in her eyes; she wants him. He stands up momentarily and takes off his shirt. Peyton's watches his every move, she watches as his muscles contract and notices how defined his abs have become. Nathan's body has changed since the last time they were together; he's matured.

She sucks in a breath when he catches her staring.

"Like what you see?" Nathan asks with a smirk.

"Shut up." She says getting up and grabbing his neck pulling him in for a searing kiss.

His pants come off and so do all her clothes. Their steamy make-out session just got a lot steamier. He hovers over her and looks into her eyes.

"I haven't been with anyone since you." Peyton admits bashfully.

Nathan cocks his head to the side and frowns.

"And I know you've probably been with tons of girls since then, I just fell like…." Was all she could get out. Nathan leaned in and kissed her; silencing her ramble.

"Peyton. You're the only one I'm with now." He says quietly.

"Okay." She whispers.

"I love you Peyton." Nathan tells her passionately.

"I love you too…" Peyton whispers as he enters her. And just as they did five years ago, they made love. There was no going back now.

-

Brooke awoke the next morning with a dull ache in her neck. She looks at her surroundings it's six thirty in the morning. She's confused, but then she remembers that Sawyer woke up crying. Clearly she slept in Sawyer's room all night, and her neck was paying for it. She slips out of Sawyer's bed and tip toes out the door. Walking past Peyton's room to get to her own, she noticed something…Peyton's door was closed. Peyton's door was never closed. Ever. Before she knocked on the door, or opened it, she ran to her room and checked outside to see if Nathan's car was here. And it was, she had her answer.

"Aunt Brooke." She heard a small voice call from the door.

"Hey baby. You're up." Brooke says walking over to Sawyer.

Sawyer nods her head. "Where's Mommy?"

"Where's Mommy? Um…she's sleeping right now. She got home kinda late." She responds.

"Can I lay in your bed with you?" Sawyer asks her aunt.

"Of course you can. Get over here." Brooke says picking her up and putting her on her queen size bed.

Brooke lies down and Sawyer cuddles up next to her.

"Is Daddy here?" Sawyer asks quietly.

"Yeah…I think so." She answers.

-

Peyton turned on her side and flung her arm wildly hitting Nathan in the process.

"Ow!" Nathan exclaimed.

"Oh! I'm sorry." Peyton says sitting up with a smile. "I'm not used to having someone else in my bed."

Nathan leaned over and kissed her. "Well you better get used to it."

She blushed and bowed her head slightly. "We should go check on Sawyer."

"Shit." He said under his breath.

"Did you forget there was still a world out there?" She asked with a smile.

"Come on. Let's see our girl." He says getting up putting his shirt on.

They walk hand in hand to her bedroom. It's empty, the bed is empty, no Sawyer no Brooke, no one.

Nathan turns to Peyton and furrows his eyebrows.

"Where are they?" he asks.

She laughs. "I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Peyton." He says seriously.

"Nathan, she's probably with Brooke." Peyton says with her hands on his chest. "Come on. We'll go to Brooke's room."

Peyton was right; she was in Brooke's room sprawled out all over the bed. Brooke on the other hand was awake, on her lap top sitting at the edge of her bed far away from Sawyer.

"Hum." Brooke says looking at the couple with a raised eyebrow.

"Brooke." Peyton warns.

Brooke hops off the bed and goes into the hallways, closing the door quietly behind her.

"Why are you all glowy this morning?" Brooke asks.

Peyton touches her hair subconsciously. Nathan looks at the floor.

"Oh. My. God. You two had sex!" Brooke announces loudly.

"Brooke." Peyton says.

"I knew it." She says pointing to them. "Your door was closed this morning when I woke up. Your door is never closed P. Sawyer."

"Okay, Brooke. I am not discussing this with you right now." Peyton says starting off down stairs to make breakfast.

"Why not?" Brooke asks following her. "Because your boy toy is here?" She asks with a devilish smirk.

Peyton spins around. "No, because my daughter is in the house and could you not call him my 'boy toy'. It's weird."

"Hum. Well excuse me. Some ones grouchy this morning." Brooke says pouring herself orange juice.

"I'm not grouchy! You're just unbelievably annoying." Peyton says loudly.

"I liked you better when you weren't getting laid." Brooke says under her breath.

-

Nathan watched as the two friends bickered all the way down the stairs. He didn't want to follow them and make Peyton feel even more uncomfortable, so he stood upstairs and watched his young daughter sleep. She seems to at peace sleeping, considering yesterdays incidents, she looks like it never even happened.

He entered Brooke's bedroom and sat at her desk. Sawyer stirred when she heard the chair creak.

"Mommy." She said aloud.

"Hey baby, daddy's here." He said going over to the bed.

"You're here." She said sleepily.

"Of course I am. I'm not going anywhere." Nathan said kissing her forehead. "How's your arm feel?"

"It hurts. I want to see Mommy." She said as he lifted her into his arms.

"Alright. Let's go see mommy." He says carrying her down the stairs.

Entering the kitchen he notices that Brooke and Peyton are no longer bickering about petty nonsense. Instead he sees them bent in close whispering to each other and giggling. They got over that quickly.

Sawyer has her head on Nathan's shoulder when they approach the two girls.

"Someone wants see her mommy." Nathan says kissing Peyton on the cheek.

"Good morning baby girl!" Peyton says taking her from Nathan's arms. "How are you?"

"Ummm. Do I have to wear this stupid cast?" Sawyer pouts.

"Hey! We don't say stupid." Peyton reprimands her. "And yes you do. You know what the doctor said."

"I don't wanna." Sawyer whines.

"Sawyer. What's going on with you?" Peyton asks. "You never whine."

"P, maybe she's just cranky." Brooke suggests.

"Do you want me to take her for the day?" Nathan asks.

"The last time she let a Scott brother take her for the day she came back with a broken arm." Brooke says loud enough for Nathan and Peyton to hear.

"Brooke!" Peyton seethes.

"Brooke, I'm only taking her to my place. We can go to the beach and just relax." Nathan proposes to them. "How does that sound Sawyer? Spending the day with your dad?"

Sawyer perks up fast. "Please Momma! Please, please, please?" She begs.

Peyton waits a few seconds debating whether or not to let her go.

"Be careful. Don't run off; listen to him, no talking back and no ice cream today…at all." Peyton says giving in. "And you. " She says looking at Nathan. "Eye's on her at all time, don't be mean, don't be a push-over and do not buy her ice cream."

Brooke folds her arms together over her chest and smiles triumphantly. Peyton was laying down the law for Nathan and Brooke was loving every moment of it.

"Yay! Aunt Brooke can you help me get ready?" Sawyer asks excitedly.

"Sure can sweetie." Brooke says following her upstairs.

"Thank you." Nathan says giving her a hug.

"She's your daughter too. You should spend some time with her…But I'm serious, no ice cream." She says.

-

With Sawyer out of the house it was the perfect time for Peyton to head over to Tric and start setting things in order for the upcoming all ages night. She grabbed Ellie's leather jacket got her keys and headed over to Tric.

Peyton walks up the stairs and notices Lucas sitting at one of the tables.

"A little early don't you think? I usually don't start my hard drinking till at least noon." She says walking up to him.

Lucas looks at her and stands up. "Come here, I want to show you something."

He walks Peyton over to a door and slides it open to reveal a large cluttered space. She looks at him questioningly.

"So I talked to my mom, and um, we decided we want you to have it. Rent free, under one condition that it becomes office space for a new label, your new label." He says to her with a twinkle in his eyes.

Peyton walks in and looks around. "Luke."

"And I've already talked to Brooke; she wants to invest in you. So I don't think you have an excuse." Lucas says to her with a smile.

"Oh, wow. Lucas I don't…I don't know what to say." She says walking around the huge room shaking her head in disbelief.

"Say you'll take it." Lucas says to her. "Peyton, you can do this. Run your own label; make a difference in the world. Your art matters."

She sighs. "You know, four years ago I would have jumped at this." She tells him.

"But what? Doesn't seem so cut and dry anymore? Because it's not. Peyt, things happen, life happens, but don't let that stand in the way of your dreams." He says to her passionately. "So what do you say?"

"Welcome to Red Bedroom Records." Peyton answers with a smile.

-

Brooke decided to go over to her new store and see how it was coming along. Nathan had Sawyer; Peyton was at Tric, what else did she have to do?

She got to the store and the construction workers were there getting things together. She sighs when her phone rings. It's Peyton.

"Hi. Guess where I am." Peyton says happily.

"You're feeling warm and fuzzy in your new office while I'm stuck in incompetent construction worker hell? I mean it's like they're in slow motion." Brooke says with a groan watching the men work slowly.

"You know what, complain all you want, but I think you're having fun, admit it." Peyton says with a laugh.

"I'll admit it is kinda cool. I mean this is _my_ store and I'm watching it being finished with my own eyes. How about you P. Sawyer? What's it like having your own record label?" Brooke asks with a smile.

"Well this place needs a lot of work, and I don't know where you got all this money from, but it's exciting. And once I have an artist, I'm paying you back in full Brooke." Peyton informs her best friend seriously.

"Shut up. Don't worry about it, Luke and I believe in you, you can do this." Brooke says. "Look I got to go, the devil summoning me."

"Well good thing you're already in hell. Call me later." Peyton says with a laugh.

"Okay." Brooke says hanging up the phone.

"Miss Davis, the men want to know where you want them to put the mannequins. They just came in and…" The man starts.

She waves her hand thinking. "Yeah, I know. Um, you know what just put them in the back room for now. Thanks."

"Alright men. She says in the back room, put em in the back room." He yells.

Brooke flinches and rings out her ear. She notices on of the construction workers with something in his hand, and she runs up to him.

"Excuse me! Um… we're going to keep this. This belongs here." She says looking at the sign in his hand.

'_Somebody told me that this is the place where everything's better, and everything's safe.'_

"Follow me." She says walking away.

-

Peyton is in her new office, cleaning things up and moving things around. She can't believe that this is actually happening. When she asked Lucas if she could do an all age's night she never expected a record label to come out of it. But she was thankful, she had Brooke and Lucas behind her and supporting her 100%. It was happening all her dreams were coming true; she was finally happy with Nathan, he daughter knew who her father was, and she's starting her own label. Life couldn't get any better.

She was shifting through a few albums and old sketches when Haley walked in.

"Hey, so this is it huh? You're doin it?" Haley said walking over to Peyton. "Lucas told me."

"Yeah, well hopefully it's just the beginning." Peyton says outing down a La Rocca album.

"Well I can say I was here when it all started. Maybe I should steal something commemorate the occasion." Haley says picking up an old sketch of Peyton's.

"Well, if there's no stopping you." Peyton says with a smile.

"This is old huh?" Haley asks showing Peyton the picture.

"Oh God. Yeah. Jake and Jenny. I haven't seen them in years." Peyton nods taking the picture from Haley.

It was the picture Peyton drew when Jake and Jenny left for Savannah on her dad's boat. She loved him once, but it wasn't meant to be, he had other priorities in his life and so did she.

"Yeah me either." Haley said nervously. "There is actually something I need to tell you, Peyton."

Peyton laughs at how nervous Haley seems. "What's up Hales?"

"Jake." She says looking away from Peyton's eyes.

"Jake?" Peyton asks following her eyes.

"Hey." Jake said smiling from the door way. "This the spot for the all ages night?"

-

Nathan and Sawyer sat together quietly on the sand. He was eating a snow cone, and she, well she was eating ice cream.

"Now remember what I told you." He said to her. "If mom asks…"

"If mom asks I only had popcorn." Sawyer finished. "This is so fun."

Nathan turns to her and smirks. "Yeah, it is kinda fun huh?"

She looks up from her ice cream. "I'm glad you're my dad."

"So am I." He says back.

The two sat in silence watching the wave's crash onto the shore. It was nice to just spend time with her. He had the chance to spoil her a bit, let her do things in his presence that Peyton normally wouldn't allow. A large figure stood in front of Nathan, blocking his view of the water causing him to look up.

"Hello Nathan." Dan said in his sinister tone.


	20. Chapter 20

**I want to thank everyone who has reviews my story. They really mean everything to me. I would also like to thank everyone who has taken an interest in reading my story, don't be shy, review, I love to hear from you!  
**

**This chapter came pretty quickly after I wrote the last one, my muse was in full swing. So here is chapter 20 of More Than Anyone. I hope you enjoy it. Read & Review.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.**

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"Hello Nathan." Dan said sinisterly.

"Dad. What are you doing here?" Nathan bites out.

Dan looks around with a smile. "Oh, just taking a stroll on the beach. Enjoying the beautiful weather we're having."

"That's bull and you know it. What do you want?" Nathan asks not in the mood for Dan's crap.

Dan ignores the question and looks directly at Sawyer sitting next to Nathan and smirks devilishly. "Aren't you going to introduce us Son?"

Nathan stands up and moves in front of Sawyer protectively.

"I think you should leave." Nathan hisses.

"I'm Sawyer Brooke Scott, age four." Sawyer pipes up from behind her father.

"Scott?" Dan questions Nathan smiling. "Well Sawyer Scott." He says slowly. "It's _very_ nice to meet you." Bending down to her eye level.

Sawyer smiles, unsure of how she feels about this new stranger.

Nathan's heart is racing and all he wants to do is scream at Dan for persuading him to give up his family. He hates that he had become his father for those four years, he swore to himself that he never would and then goes around and does that exact thing.

Nathan picks up his daughter and holds her tightly against his chest. "Leave. Now." He orders Dan.

"Now, Nathan. Is that anyway to speak to your father?" Dan asks.

"You know what I don't have time for this. We're leaving." Nathan says walking away with Sawyer in tow.

Dan stands there watching him leave. "Tell Peyton I said hi." Dan shouts to Nathans retreating figure.

-

"Jake!" Peyton shouts as she rushes over to him hugging him tightly. "Oh my God. You're here!"

"How are you Peyton?" He asks getting a good look at her.

"Oh, God. I'm good. But how about you? How's Jenny? What is she like thirteen now?" Peyton jokes.

"Very funny." Jake says with a laugh. "I'm good, things are good and Jenny's great. She's actually just turning seven."

"Wow. Seven years old. I remember when she was seven months old. God how time flies." Peyton says shaking her head in disbelief.

"Imagine when Sawyer turns seven." Haley says laughing.

"Oh I don't even want to think about it." Peyton laughs back.

Jake looks between the two women with pure confusion written all over his face. "Sawyer?" he asks.

"Oh! I forgot. Um, Sawyer's my daughter. She's four and a half." Peyton replies.

"You…you have a daughter." Jake states in slight shock. "I'm glad you and Lucas are finally happy."

Peyton and Haley look at each other and laugh. Jake once again has a look of confusion etched across his face.

"I'm…I'm sorry. It's just, Lucas and I aren't together." Peyton says after her giggles have died down.

"Peyton. I'm sorry. I know how hard it is to be a single parent." Jake says putting his hands in his pocket.

"Yeah, well…Sawyer's not Luke's." Peyton admits bashfully.

Jake raises an eyebrow and smiles slightly. "Then…"

"She's Nathan's." Peyton says quietly.

Peyton could have sworn she saw Jake's eyes pop out of his head.

"You're serious?!" Jake asks.

Peyton nods.

He looks at them. "Wow. Well, congratulations. I've missed out on _a lot_ since I've been gone."

Peyton gives him another hug. "It's good to have you back Jake."

-

"No, no. This is all wrong. _Purple_. I said I wanted a light purple. Not that deep plum color you got, a light lavender. Like this." Brooke yelled, throwing a color swatch at a large man, as she watched the other men start to paint her walls.

"Miss Davis. This is the color you told me." The man answered pointing to the wall.

Brooke took a deep breath and put her hands together calming herself. "Phil. Your name _is_ Phil right?" She asks. "Okay look. I know what I said. And I said I wanted light purple. Now you either go and get me that light purple _or_ I fire you on the spot. Your choice." She finishes with a smile.

"Ted. Stop painting. Get that light purple that Miss Davis asked for." Phil calls over his shoulder.

Brooke smiles triumphantly. "I knew you'd make the right decision."

The bell above the door rings causing Brooke to look at who entered.

"Boyfriend." Brooke smiles and hugs Lucas tightly. "Hey Mouth, how's it going?"

"Brooke this place looks amazing." Mouth says sincerely glancing around at the store.

"Eh. It's getting there." Brooke says with a hand on her hip.

"How's it going Pretty Girl?" Lucas asks her.

"Could be better. Phil over there messed up the colors, so now he has to start over, meaning I can't open this place on Friday like I originally wanted." Brooke says in a huff.

"It's going to be fine. It'll work out." He says kissing her gently.

"Yeah but, if he would have just listened to me in the first place we wouldn't have this problem." Brooke whines.

"Brooke, come on. It's not that bad. It'll be done before you know it." Mouth says being the voice of reason.

-

Peyton, Jake and Haley sit on a couch in Peyton's unfinished office catching up.

"So you were the mystery caller Haley was _always_ on the phone with." Peyton says cocking her head in Haley's direction.

"I wasn't…" Haley starts.

"Hales, you were always on the phone with the 'mystery man'." Peyton says using finger quotes.

Jake looks down and laughs. "Yeah. It was me. She called me up and asked me if I was available to play for your all age's night."

Peyton smiles. "I'm glad she did. Now I have four performers."

"So who is playing at this thing?" Jake asks becoming curious.

"Okay, um, there's you, Haley, Chris Keller, and I got Fall Out Boy to agree to come." Peyton says biting her bottom lip.

"You did!?" Haley asks excitedly.

"Yeah, I just got conformation before you showed up here." Peyton replies.

"It's going to be pretty awesome Peyton. I'm proud of you." Jake says to her.

"Thanks. I'm really glad you're here Jake. We've all missed you." Peyton says.

"Yeah we did." Haley agrees.

Jake looks at Haley and winks. Haley pushes a piece of hair behind her ear and blushes. Peyton notices this and smiles. Maybe Haley will get her happily ever after too.

-

Nathan couldn't get to his truck quicker. He strapped Sawyer in and sped off. His anger was getting the best of him, and he couldn't let that happen with Sawyer around. At the red light he took a deep breath calming himself down, his daughter was in the car he shouldn't be driving recklessly. Leave it up to Dan to put a damper on a great day.

"Why are you so mad?" Sawyer asks from the back seat.

Nathan sighs. "I'm…I'm not mad baby."

"Yes you are. Aunt Brooke speeds when she is angry too." Sawyer observes.

He couldn't help but laugh slightly. Out of all things, she notices that he was speeding.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be speeding." Nathan apologizes to her.

"Why don't you like him?" She pries.

"He's a bad man Sawyer. He's done some really bad things okay. I need you to promise me if you ever see him, stay away alright?" He asks.

"Okay. I promise." She says from the backseat. "When we get home, can Momma decorate my cast?"

"Sure. As soon as we get home." He answers.

-

"Alright Peyton. I'm going to head out. I'm at the River Inn if you need to get in touch with me." Jake announces standing up. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." He gives both girls a hug and a kiss on the cheek and leaves.

"Bye." They both say.

"Okay, what was that about?" Peyton asks turning to Haley with a smirk on her face.

"What was what about?" Haley asks feigning innocents.

"Haley. Come on. You're totally into him." Peyton says.

"I'm…I'm, it's just…no." Haley shakes her head. "I'm not."

"Yes. Yes you are. Haley that's awesome! You should go for it." Peyton say encouraging her.

Haley looks at her with hopeful eyes. "Really?"

"Really. You two would be great together." Peyton says hip checking Haley.

Haley laughs, and then sighs. "Ugh, alright. Alright, I'll give it a try."

"That's my girl." Peyton laughs.

Brooke enters the office and pouts before them.

"What are you two laughing at?" Brooke asks them.

"What's with the pout B. Davis?" Peyton asks.

"The guys working on my store are morons. They can't even pick the right color paint, and you're in here having a laugh with Haley and I'm miserable." Brooke huffs taking a seat on the couch. "This is nice."

"Yeah. It still needs some work, oh, and some artists, but it's coming along." Peyton says taking a seat beside her.

"You two never answered. What were you laughing about?" Brooke asks again.

Haley shrugs her shoulders. "It was nothing."

"No… it was not nothing, don't listen to her Brooke." Peyton says.

"Peyton." Haley warns.

"Haley…are you hiding something from me?" Brooke asks.

"No."

"Yes."

Haley and Peyton answer at the same time. Haley glares at Peyton and Peyton smirks at her.

"What's going on Tutor Girl?" Brooke asks, excited for juicy gossip.

"Jake's back in town." Peyton says quickly covering her mouth with her hands.

"Really?" Brooke asks amused at this news. "But…what does that have to do with Ha…Oh!" Brooke says realizing what it means.

"Tutor Girl has a crush on Single Dad…Very nice." Brooke says with a grin.

"Jake and Haley sitting in a tree." Peyton laughs.

Haley blushes in embarrassment. "Okay, come on you guys. Enough. I haven't even told him that I like him yet."

"Yet. You're going to do that the night of the show." Brooke says, formulating a plan in her head.

"No. Brooke, I don't need your help with this, I can do it on my own. Thanks." Haley says standing up.

Peyton laughs. "Easy girl."

"I, am going to go home. I have to work on some new lyrics." Haley says grabbing her purse.

"Bye Hales. Call me tomorrow. I'll be here all day." Peyton says from the couch.

"Okay, bye guys." She says as she leaves.

"That girl is too much." Brooke laughs watching Haley leave. "So, Jake's really back huh?"

"Yep." Peyton answers.

"For how long?" Brooke asks.

"No clue. He doesn't have Jenny with him, so it can't be for too long." She replies.

"Wow, how old is Jenny now?" Brooke asks thinking about her age.

"Turning seven. She's two years older than Sawyer." Peyton answers.

"Speaking of Sawyer. What's up with her? Have we heard from Nathan at all?" Brooke pries.

"No actually. I haven't. I guess things are good. Right?" Peyton asks.

Brooke shakes her head. Peyton sighs.

-

Nathan winds up at Lucas' house. Peyton is at Tric working on the all age's night, and as far as he knows, Brooke is working on her store. He takes Sawyer out of the car and she runs up to the door and rings the bell.

Lucas answers the door and sees his niece standing there alongside his brother.

"Uncle Luke!" Sawyer says excitedly.

"Hey Sawyer. What's up?" He asks lifting her into the air giving her a hug.

"Me and Daddy are spending the day together." She says happily as he puts her down.

"Oh, that's really cool. Did he buy you ice cream?" Lucas asks quietly as if it's the biggest secret in the world.

Sawyer's eyes go wide and she nods her head. She looks around and summons Lucas closer to her. He leans down and she whispers in his ear.

"But Mommy can't find out. It's our secret." She whispers.

Lucas looks at her dead in the eye. "I'll take it to the grave." He says seriously.

She smiles at him and runs off into the living room to watch TV.

"Thanks Luke." Nathan says taking a seat at the table.

"Nah, it's no problem. She's funny Nate." Lucas says grabbing a beer from the fridge. "You want one?"

Nathan nods his head, grabbing a beer from Luke's hand.

"We have a problem Luke." Nathan says with a sigh.

"What's up?" Lucas asks.

"Dan."

"Dan?" Lucas asks.

Nathan nods his head somberly. "We were at the beach and he just showed up."

"Damn, that's not good." Lucas shakes his head taking a sip.

"No. It's not. The worst part is, he talked to Sawyer." Nathan tells him.

"Does Dan know, about Sawyer?" Lucas asks.

Nathan puts down his beer and sighs again. "I told him when Peyton got pregnant, and he told me I had more going for me then becoming a father at eighteen." He admits to his brother.

"Son of a bitch." Lucas says angrily.

"Yeah. He knew, he convinced me that basketball was more important than them." Nathan added.

"Unbelievable." Lucas yells. "I can't believe him."

"Well, believe it. I always said I never wanted to become Dan and that's exactly who I became." Nathan says.

"Nate, the important thing is that you're in her life now." Lucas says reassuringly.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make up for the years that I wasn't there." Nathan says.

"Nathan, you're not Dan." Lucas says strongly. "He's ruined more lives than we can count. You're not him."

"Yeah well if we let him anywhere near Sawyer you might as well add another name to that list." Nathan said taking a sip of his beer.

"What's he even doing out of jail anyway?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know. He's been in for about five years. I guess he served his time." Nathan answered.

As the two brothers were talking there was a knock on Luke's front door.

He opens it only to find Dan standing there. Lucas goes to close the door but Dan put his hand on it blocking him.

"Lucas." Dan says.

"What do you want Dan?" Lucas bites out.

"Can't a father say hello to his son?" Dan asks.

"No. Not you. What do you want?" Lucas asked again.

"Just stopping by to see if you're alright." Dan says nonchalantly.

"I'm fine. I can't say the same for you." Lucas says with disgust.

"Luke, who is it?" Nathan shouts from the kitchen.

"Ah. Is Nathan here?" Dan asks, he gets closer to the door peaking inside. "Is Sawyer here?"

Lucas gets protective, his hands are curled up into fists. "Don't worry about, Sawyer she's none of your business!"

"Oh, I think she is. You see, she's my granddaughter. I know that much…but who's the father. We all know Miss Sawyer was a little tramp." Dan says loud enough for Nathan to hear.

Nathan gets up from the table in a blaze of fury.

"I swear to God I'll kill you!" He shouts running towards the door.

"Nate! Nate, man." Lucas shouts over him trying to block him from getting to Dan. "Sawyer's here. Calm down."

Dan stands in the doorway and laughs. "Ah, look at my sons, both of you ready to fight to the death for Peyton Sawyer. It's a shame really."

Nathan's breathing is heavy, his eyes dark. He points a finger at Dan and speaks. "Stay away from my family."

-

Peyton and Brooke sat in Peyton's new office for a while together.

"I can't believe you and Lucas came up with this idea." Peyton says shaking her head.

"Peyton, this is your dream. We're just pushing you in the right direction. You're making this happen, this was _your_ idea." Brooke says putting a hand on Peyton's knee.

"Looks like everyone's dreams are coming true huh?" Peyton says getting misty eyed. "We're really doing this."

"Yeah, we are. Did you ever imagine that four years ago we would end up back in Tree Hill with our own offices and companies and record labels?" Brooke asks.

"Never. But I couldn't be happier." Peyton answers, she pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath. "Brooke. I have to tell you something."

"Okay, go ahead." Brooke says furrowing her eyebrows.

"Last night, when Nathan picked me up from the cemetery…he sort of proposed." Peyton said biting her lip.

"Proposed as in, marry me, proposed?" Brooke asked.

Peyton nodded her head.

"And…" Brooke urges.

"And, I said yes." Peyton reveals.

"Shut. Up!" Brooke shouts standing up. "Oh my God! P. Sawyer, you're getting married!"

"Yeah." Peyton says smiling from ear to ear. "But not yet, he didn't have a ring, and…we're trying to keep it quiet for a while, you know, until Sawyer gets used to him being around and all."

"Wait." Brooke says holding up her hand, her enthusiasm quickly dying down. "He didn't have a ring? He went all Naley on you?!"

"Well, no he didn't, but it's not about that. We love each other and that's what counts. Brooke, I just couldn't keep this a secret from you for any longer." Peyton admits to her best friend.

Brooke smiles. "I'm surprised you kept it to yourself for this long." She says nudging Peyton with her elbow.

Peyton laughs, so is she. They go silent for a while, just thinking about everything that's going on around them when the shrill rings of a phone cut through the silence.

"That's me." Peyton says picking up her phone. "Hello."

"Hey Peyton." Lucas' voice comes through the phone.

"Hey Luke, what's up?" Peyton says looking at Brooke with a questioning look.

Brooke perks up when she hears Peyton say Luke's name, she sits on the edge of the couch waiting for what they say.

"Look there's a problem." He says.

"What kind of problem Lucas?" She asks.

"Dan." He says with a sigh.

Peyton's eyes go wide with terror. She doesn't say a word.

"Peyton." Brooke says softly. "What is it?"

No answer.

"Peyton? You there?" Lucas asks through the phone.

"Yeah…I'm here." She answers quietly.

"Nathan and Sawyer ran into him on the beach. They are at my house now, but it's not good." Lucas informs her.

"Um…Okay. I'm leaving Tric now. Brooke and I are on our way to your house." Peyton says finally finding her voice fully.

"Alright. Bye." He says hanging up the phone.

"Bye." She whispers.

Brooke notices the fear still evident in Peyton's eyes. She puts her coat on, grabs her purse and goes over to Peyton.

"Hey, what happened?" Brooke asked getting worried.

"It's Dan." Peyton says meeting Brooke's hazel eyes.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Not one of my better chapters. The creative juices weren't flowing. I already have a sequel in mind and the ideas for that are taking over my thoughts. I'm not even finished with this one yet; I'm biting off more than I can chew. =/ Read, review & enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

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Brooke stood there quietly, her mouth open. She had to be hearing things, as far as she knew, Dan Scott was in jail.

"Dan _Scott_." Brooke states questioningly.

Peyton nods her head and takes a deep breath. "The one and only."

"This has to be some sick joke right?" Brooke says to no one in particular.

"He saw Sawyer." Peyton says looking at Brooke. "He knows about her Brooke."

Brooke looks at Peyton compassionately. "Peyton…"

"We gotta go." Peyton says frantically grabs her coat and car keys.

"Where are Nathan and Sawyer?" Brooke asks.

"At Luke's." Peyton says walking off towards the door.

"Okay, let's go." Brooke says following Peyton out the door.

-

Nathan sat on the couch with his head in his hands. He let his anger get the best of him, he almost lost it in front of Sawyer and that wouldn't have been good. Dan had the nerve to come to Lucas' house and blatantly insult the people they loved, their family. Nathan couldn't let that slide, he just couldn't.

"Nate." Lucas says putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Peyton's on her way…"

Nathan nodded his head not saying a word.

Sawyer is sitting next to Nathan on the couch watching TV. She looks at Lucas, and then glances over at her dad and look back over to Lucas.

"Uncle Lucas, is Momma going to come over?" She asks Lucas.

Lucas turns his attention over to Sawyer. "Yeah, your mom and Aunt Brooke will be here in a few minutes."

Sawyer rubs her arm in the cast and then does the same to Nathan hand.

"It's gonna be okay Daddy." She says softly, her green eye boring holes into him.

Nathan looks at his daughter with sad eyes. He wishes she was right, and he wishes everything would be okay, and he wishes that he can make everything in her world better, but he can't. He promised her that he'd never leave them again, and he hates breaking his promises, but now that Dan's back he can't promise anything.

"I hope you're right baby. I hope your right." Nathan says with a sigh.

"I wish Mommy was here." Sawyer says with a sigh.

So did Nathan. No sooner did she say that, her mother and her aunt came in through the door.

Sawyer jumped off the couch and ran into her mother's arms.

"Oh Sawyer!" Peyton says hugging her tightly, breathing in her scent. "Are you okay?"

Sawyer giggles. "I'm fine Momma. I want you to decorate my cast…..OH! And Nathan's too." She says without thinking.

Nathan notices her slip, but doesn't let it bother him. She meets his eyes and looks away quickly.

"I mean Daddy." Sawyer corrects herself. "Sorry."

Nathan looks at her and smiles slightly. "It's okay."

Peyton and Brooke look at each other uncertainly. Peyton looks back over to her daughter and sighs.

"As soon as we get home I'll decorate your cast." Peyton says getting down to Sawyers level, brushing some hair out of her beautiful face. "How about you put on your favorite show and watch it while Mommy and Aunt Brooke talk with your Dad and Uncle Lucas. Okay?"

Sawyer nods her head silently as she watches the four adults disappear into the kitchen.

Brooke speaks first. "So he's really back? Dan."

"Yeah. He served his time, and now he's a free man." Lucas says with his arms crossed over his chest.

"This can't be real." Peyton says slowly sitting down on a chair.

Nathan goes behind her and places his hand on her shoulder, kissing her head.

"It is." He says in his deep voice. "I need you to promise me that if you see him, you'll stay as far away as possible... Both of you." He says looking at Peyton and Brooke.

"Yeah, of course Nate." Brooke answers.

Peyton silently nods her head.

Lucas walks over to her and bends down so he is eye level with her.

"Peyton. Dan won't ever go near Sawyer. Nathan and I will make sure of that. It'll be alright." Lucas says comfortingly.

Again Peyton nods. "I know." She says quietly. "it's just…it's Dan, you know."

"We know Peyt." Nathan says from behind her.

They fall into an uncomfortable silence, none of them knowing what to say to each other. Brooke looked at the two brothers and broke the silence.

"We should inform Haley right. She should know." Brooke said to the guys.

"Yeah. She should know." Nathan answered.

-

Haley sat at her counter with her guitar in her hand and a gallon of ice cream on the counter. She knew dairy wasn't the best thing to be eating, especially when she was working on a new song, but she didn't care. She was alone, giddy and ice cream was her happiness. She strummed a few chords when she heard a knock on her door.

She put her guitar down and answers the door.

"Haley. It's good to see you. Do you mind if I come in?" Dan asks.

Haley stood there with her mouth open. This was something that she never expected, Dan Scott standing outside of her apartment.

"Actually I do mind." She said angrily attempting to slam the door in his face.

But Dan had other plans. He stopped her from closing the door.

"Haley." He said cocking his head to the side. "Don't be rude."

Haley took a deep breath. "What do you want Mr. Scott?"

"I just wanted to say hello to my ex-daughter-in-law. We used to be family, you know." Dan said with a slight smile.

"Dan, we haven't been family in a long time. I think you should go." She said with force.

"If that's what you want." He said turning away. "Tell Miss Sawyer I said hello will you. Oh, and that pretty little daughter of hers too." And he walked off into the night with nothing else.

Haley closed the door and dead bolted it; she shut her blinds and instantly called Lucas.

"Luke?" She said worriedly into the speaker.

"Hey Hales, I was just about to call you." Lucas breathed into the phone.

"Lucas. Dan came by my apartment." Haley said to him before he could get a word out.

"Damn it." He said under his breath.

Haley peeked out of her window one last time before taking a seat on her couch.

"Luke, what's going on?" She asked him with the phone resting between her ear and her shoulder.

"He's out of jail Hales, that's why I was about to call you." Lucas answered.

"Oh." Said Haley. "Luke, he brought up Peyton and Sawyer…it was creepy."

"Yeah. He stopped by my place too. Hales just, don't answer the door if it's him okay?" Lucas asks her.

"Yeah. Of course." She responds. "Is everything okay though?"

"For now." He answers.

"Okay, call me if anything." Haley says to Lucas.

"I will. Bye Hales." He says hanging up the phone.

Haley sat on her couch with her phone still in her hands. She looked at her phone and then looked at her guitar. She opened her phone and starts dialing.

"Hey. You want to come by my apartment tonight?" She asked.

-

Lucas, Brooke and Nathan sat in the kitchen and continued talking; Peyton on the other hand went into the living room where her daughter was. She watched as her small daughter drifted off into a silent slumber on the couch. A smile crawled upon her face. Her daughter had that effect on her; making her smile when everything else in her world was falling apart.

Peyton walked back into the kitchen and picked up her purse.

Brooke walks away from the two brothers and puts a hand on Peyton's shoulder.

"Where you going P?" Brooke asked.

"Home. Sawyer's sleeping, I'm gonna take her and go." Peyton answered.

"Okay. You want me to come?" She asks the blond.

"Nah. Stay here." Peyton says with a winks.

Brooke cocks her head and frowns. "Peyton, if you need me, I'll leave."

"No." Peyton says shaking her head. "Stay. It's fine, you deserve this Brooke."

Nathan looks at Peyton and Brooke.

"I'll go with them." He says to Brooke.

She nods. "Okay."

She watches as Nathan and Peyton go into the living room and pick up Sawyer. They wave silently at Lucas and Brooke and leave. Lucas takes Brooke in his arms and gives her a comforting hug.

"They'll be fine Brooke." He whispers in her ear.

She smiles, he trying to soothe her fears, and its working. Peyton needs her, she knows it, but if Nathan is willing to go and Peyton is letting him, maybe she needs him more. It's time for her to be okay with that, she has Lucas now and Peyton and Nathan are engaged. It's all going to be okay.

-

There is a knock at Haley's door. She jumps slightly and looks through her peep-hole. She opened the door and came face to face with Jake.

"You came." She says with a sigh of relief.

He hugs her. "Of course I came."

She sticks her head outside and looks around a bit before closing the door and double locking it.

Haley chuckles nervously before picking up her guitar.

"Okay, what was that about?" Jake asks her putting down his guitar case.

She shrugs her shoulders. "Dan Scott. He's out of jail. And, he came by my apartment."

Jake furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "That's creepy."

"I know! That's what I said and I'm creeped out. So I double locked my door and invited you over." Haley says in a rushed voice with a shy smile.

Jake laughs. "It's cool. I'm glad you called me."

He takes a seat on the couch as Haley takes a seat on the floor.

"Me too." Haley says with a smile.

"So, what song are you working on?" He asks taking out his guitar.

"Oh, it's just a little something." She says waving it off as nothing.

"Well what's it called?" Jake pries.

"Halo." She answers.

-

Nathan and Peyton get back to Peyton's house and Nathan puts Sawyer upstairs in her room. Peyton watches him walk upstairs; she walks slowly over to the couch and plops right down on it. She has her head tilted back, eyes closed and both her hands resting on her forehead.

Nathan came back downstairs and saw her just like that.

"Peyt." He said quietly resting his hand on her leg.

"Mmmm." Was her response.

"You alright?" Nathan asks gently taking a seat next to her.

She turns her head slightly and opens her eyes. "I am now." Peyton answers quietly.

"Come here." He says pulling her closer to him.

Peyton lets out an audible sigh. "He's really back huh?"

"Yeah, but we're going to ignore him. We're going to go on with our lives as if he doesn't exist." Nathan tells her.

"Yeah, we are. We'll be fine Nathan." She says confidently, even though inside she fears the worst.

Peyton pulls her legs up on the couch and cuddles close to Nathan's side. His arm is draped around her, her hand resting on his chest.

"You gonna stay the night?" She asks looking up at him.

"You want me to?" He asks.

She nods her head into his chest.

"Then I'll stay." He tells her.

-

It was the first time in a long time that Lucas and Brooke were alone together. They sat quietly on his couch watching a movie by candle light; Brooke was curled up into Lucas' side while his arm was slung comfortably around her shoulder.

Brooke sighed.

He looked down at her and squinted his eyes.

She sighed again.

Lucas sat up straight, causing Brooke to shift and move too.

"What's going on Brooke?" He asks her.

"Maybe I should call them, see if she's Okay." She says playing with her hands.

"Brooke, they're fine, Nathan's there." Lucas says trying to comfort her.

"I know, just…what if…" Brooke starts.

"No what if's. They're fine." Lucas says.

Brooke cocks her head and smiles.

She closes her eyes and drops her shoulders. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry." He says taking her hand in his. "Come here."

Lucas pulls her close and places a chaste kiss on her lips. She pulls her hand out of his and runs her fingers through his sandy blonde hair deepening the kiss. Lucas wraps his arms around her and picks her up; she wraps her legs around his waist as he carries her to his bedroom.

He lays her on his bed and hovers over her slightly. His blue eyes meet her hazel and she pulls him back in for a kiss. They break apart when he takes off his shirt. Brooke takes this time to glance at his room. She notices that his room hasn't changed much since high school, at one point in time she called this bedroom hers too. She too takes off her shirt, their kissing goes one step further and she thinks that maybe one day soon that bedroom will be theirs.

-

Dan Scott is many things; a father, a son, a brother, a grandfather, hated, despised, and a murderer. He sure as hell isn't well liked.

He sat by himself on the beach reflecting on his life and what it has come to. Both of his sons hate him, he shot and killed his own brother, and he'll never know his granddaughter. He can't change many things, but he can change that. He makes the decision then and there to do anything in his power to get to know Sawyer. If it's the last thing he does.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I stole yet another scene from season 5. It just fits, sorry. =) Hope you all like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

* * *

**

Two big things were happening this weekend; Brooke's store opening and Peyton's All Age's Night, which she gave the name: Tric's All Age's Night, very conventional but she didn't care.

Peyton was in her office, which between all the confusion with Sawyer's arm breaking and Dan getting out of jail, it finally got finished. She was printing out fliers for her All Age's Night when Jake and Haley came in.

She looked up from her computer. "Hey guys."

They get to her desk, Haley huffed and rolled her eyes and Jake shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"Okayyy…was it something I said?" Peyton asked in confusion.

"No." Haley said tartly. "You were right."

Peyton laughed. "Right about what?"

Haley looked away angrily causing Peyton to look toward Jake for answers.

"Chris Keller." Jake answered.

"Haley. He was _your_ idea." Peyton said in shock. "You cannot be having problems already."

"Hello Tree Hill! Chris Keller is in the house!" They hear the egotistical musician shout walking into Red Bedroom Records.

Peyton sighs heavily and closes her eyes. Haley shakes her head and Jake looks back a Chris Keller.

Chris stands there with his guitar in hand and stares at the three of them.

He raises an eyebrow. "Was it something I said?" He asks.

-

Brooke was in her newly renovated store; Clothes Over Bros, watching as the men put together the last few mannequins and watched as her assistant dressed them in her clothes.

Lucas walks in with Nathan and Sawyer. Nathan and Sawyer take a seat on one of the grey couches and start playing with Nathan's iPod. Lucas pulls out his camera and takes a quick picture. Brooke looks at him with a questioning glance.

"I promised my mom I would send her a photo once you got finished destroying her café." Lucas answered her before she even asked the question.

She tilts her head to the side. "Okay, that's not fair. I hated doing it. But I kept the sign." She said pointing to the sign hanging from the ceiling.

"Oh, well I'll make sure I mention it in my email." He says to her with a smile. "What makes you want to open up a shop here in Tree Hill?" He questions out of the blue.

"Same reason you're coaching the Ravens, same reason Peyton opened her own label. Its home. And it's good to be home. Whatdya think?" She asked with her arms folded over her chest and a smile on her face.

Lucas looks around at what she's done to the place. "I gotta be honest; I think it's the perfect way to continue the legacy of Karen's Café. I'm just amazed at how quickly you got this place together. You're very impressive, Brooke Davis." He says giving her a kiss.

She kisses him back and smiles. "Yeah, that's what they tell me."

"So, is it everything you imagined?" He asked looking deeply into her eyes.

"Hm?" She questions.

"Having your own fashion line." Lucas clarifies.

"Today it is. Ask me again tomorrow." She answers walking away from Lucas and over to Sawyer.

"Hey baby girl." Brooke says picking her up off the couch and giving her a big hug and peppering her with kisses.

"Aunt Brooke!" Sawyer says squirming in protest. "You saw me five minutes ago."

Brooke gasps in mock horror. "You don't want a kiss from your favorite Godmother?"

Sawyer sighs dramatically. "You're my only Godmother."

Brooke puts her down and puts a hand on her hip. "Well, look at you, getting smarter by the minute."

Sawyer rolled her eyes and walked off behind the counter.

All Brooke could do was laugh. Lucas looked at Nathan and he held his hands up in surrender.

"I had nothing to do with that." Nathan said aloud.

"No. _That_ was all me." Brooke said still looking in the direction Sawyer walked off. "Sorry. She has a flare for the dramatics."

"You would have never guessed huh?" Lucas asked sarcastically.

-

"Hi Chris." Peyton said standing from her seat at her desk.

"Hey there Blondie." He said back to her giving her a nod, he looks Haley up and down then smiles. "Hiya Hales, lookin good."

Haley folds her arms over her body and sighs in disgust.

Jake looks at Peyton and laughs a bit, as does Peyton.

"So you still with that husband of yours? Or do I have to kiss you again so you can finally divorce him?" Chris asks her.

"No, it worked the first time." Haley responded sarcastically.

Peyton's eyes went wide with how forward Haley was being. She stepped out from behind her desk and put her hand on Haley's shoulders from behind and started walking her away from Chris.

"Okay, Hales breathe." Peyton said into her ear.

"Peyton, I'm gonna punch him in the face." Haley said in annoyance.

"Haley." Peyton said with a laugh facing her. "This was _all_ you. Remember, _you _were the one who was convincing me to give him a chance."

"I know, but I was wrong you were right." Haley said desperately.

"No. You were right, he's talented. He's a jackass, but a talented jackass." Peyton said to Haley.

Haley threw her head back and sighed. "Fine."

"Fine what?" Peyton laughed.

"Fine, I'll deal with it." Haley said looking at Peyton. "I was kind of hoping you would tell him you didn't need him." She admitted biting her bottom lip.

"Not a chance." Peyton said as she put her arm around Haley's shoulder.

-

Lucas went across the street to get coffee of the three of them, and Brooke took a seat next to Nathan on the grey couch.

"So, you and P. Sawyer." Brooke said nudging Nathan's arm.

"So you and my brother." Nathan retorted.

Brooke throws her head back and laughs. "Ahh, touché."

Brooke looks at Nathan, whose eyes are now focused on Sawyer who is helping Brooke's assistant put some scarves on a display.

"What's it like?" She asks.

He turns to her and cocks his head to the side.

"Knowing your daughter, being a family." She clarified.

"It's everything I dreamed it be." Nathan answered honestly.

Brooke smiled, that was the answer she was looking for. She knew they were engaged, and that Peyton was in love with him, but she needed to know where he stood, and now she knows.

"Good to know." She said.

Nathan smirked, his blue eyes searching Brooke's hazel. "Thank you."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "For what?"

"For taking care of them when I didn't." He said shamefully.

"Nathan, you don't have to thank me. I would have gone to the ends of the earth for them." She said placing a hand on him knee.

"I know. But you still protected and took care of them." Nathan continued.

"They're my family. We were all each other had." Brooke told him. "But now they have you, and they need you."

Nathan nodded his head. "I'm gonna marry her Brooke."

She smiled her dimpled smile and gave him a hug. "I know, and I can't wait!"

"I leave for fifteen minutes and you move in on my brother." Lucas says reentering the boutique with three drinks in his hands.

"Oh Luke, don't be jealous, Nathan is _so_ not my type." Brooke said taking her coffee from him and giving him kiss on the cheek.

Lucas looked at Nathan, and all Nathan could do was shrug.

"Okay, I'm gonna get outta here. Peyton asked me to bring Sawyer by Tric." Nathan says standing up.

Brooke whistles. "Baby Brooke! Get over here."

Sawyer huffs over to them. "Aunt Brooke, I was helping Millie with the scarves."

"I know you were. But you gotta go. Give me a hug." Brooke says lowing herself.

Sawyer wraps one arm around her aunt and holds the other close to her body.

"How's that arm feeling?" Brooke asks glancing at her cast.

Sawyer shrugs. "It doesn't hurt anymore…just itches."

"Really? I'm sorry to hear that. I'll see you later tonight missy." Brooke says fixing Sawyer's messy hair. "Your mother would kill me if she knew your hair looked like this."

Nathan and Lucas laughed. They didn't think her hair looked that bad.

"You ready to go miss?" Nathan asked as Brooke finished her hair.

"Yup. Let's go." She answered skipping over to the door.

"Thanks Brooke." Nathan said again following his daughter. "I'll talk to you guys later."

Brooke and Lucas waved goodbye and watched as they walked out the door.

-

Haley ran over to the DJ booth where Peyton was located watching Chris rehearse his songs on stage.

"Peyton, what is the set list? What order are we going on?" Haley asked somewhat out of breath.

"Here," She says handing Haley the list. "Keller, Jake, you, then Fall Out Boy."

"Okay, I still have some time." Haley says relieved.

"Time for what?" Peyton asks her curiously.

"Oh, nothing." She says brushing the comment off and walking away.

"Hey." Jake says coming up behind Peyton.

"Hey Jake. How's it goin?" she asks.

"Not too bad. I'm pretty excited for tomorrow night though." He says looking around Tric.

"Yeah me too. Although I'm a little nervous about the turnout." Peyton admits.

"Why?" Jake pries.

"Because I haven't done one of these things in years." She answers.

"You're gonna be fine Peyton." He says putting a friendly hand on her shoulder.

She turns to him and smiles.

"Hey Curly." Chris says loudly into the microphone. "Am I going to be able to do the duet with Haley?"

Peyton laughs. "Give it up Chris, she doesn't want you."

"So are we doing the duet or not?" He asks.

"Chris, I don't know. You gotta ask her, I don't have time to play messenger, do it yourself…" Peyton yells to him.

"I'm gonna go warn Hales." Jake says leaving the DJ booth.

"Cool, can I go on the stage?" She hears a small voice say.

"Sawyer." She hears Nathan scold. "Hey! Get off the stage."

"Sorry." Sawyer mumbles.

"Hey kid." Chris says, ignoring Nathans presence. "You wanna play my guitar for a bit?" He asks, surprising both Nathan and Peyton.

Peyton moves from the DJ booth and moves closer to the stage coming to stand beside Nathan.

Sawyer looks up at her mother. "Can I?"

"If you want to." Peyton says shrugging her shoulder.

Sawyer makes her way up the stairs and over to Chris.

"I'm Sawyer." She says holding her hand out to shake his.

"And I'm Chris." He says shaking her small hand. "You know how to play?"

She shakes her head causing her curls to fly around.

"Come here." He says lifting her off the floor and onto his lap. He takes her good hand and strums a few chords with her. She looks over to her parents and smiles.

"Look! Watch me." She shouts from Chris' lap.

"I see. Very impressive!" Peyton cheers from the floor.

"I really hate that guy." Nathan whispers.

"Stop." Peyton warns jabbing him in his side.

Haley and Jake walk out of Peyton's office and stop in their tracks at what they see; Sawyer on Chris Keller's lap playing guitar with him.

"Is he serious?" Haley asks loud enough for Jake to hear.

"I wonder if he knows who she is." He says.

"He's Chris Keller, he probably has no idea." She says with a slight laugh.

Haley and Jake walk over to where Nathan and Peyton are standing.

"He has no clue does he?" Haley asked.

"Nope." Peyton laughed.

Chris put Sawyer down and gave her a high five.

"You're not bad kid." He said to her.

"Thanks." Sawyer beamed.

"Hey Nate. Long time no see." Chris said standing from the stool he was sitting on, nodding in Nathans direction.

Nathan didn't say a word, he just glared at Chris.

"Don't worry, I haven't kissed Haley. Yet…" Chris says with a stupid grin.

"Chris!" Peyton warns.

"You're lucky my kid's here Keller. Otherwise I would pummel your ass." Nathan said in a growl.

"Aw. Hales, I didn't know she was yours. No wonder she's such a natural at the guitar." Chris says with a wink.

Haley rolled her eyes and sighed in disgust. "You are so stupid."

Jake looked away, resisting the urge to laugh, Nathan had his good hand balled up in a fist, Haley had a look of utter disgust on her face and Peyton stood there with a smile watching this all happen.

"What?" Chris said shrugging his shoulders.

"Sawyer's my daughter Chris." Peyton said.

"Come again…" He pried.

"That's what she said." Peyton joked.

"Huh?" Chris asked "You're confusing me Goldilocks."

"She's mine, not Haley's." She clarified.

Chris' eyes went wide. He looked back and forth between Haley, Nathan and Peyton.

"Well that's one hell of a love triangle." He said.

"There _is_ no love triangle you ass." Nathan yelled taking a step closer to the stage.

"Nate." Peyton said putting a gentle hand in his arm.

"Nathan and I are divorced you inbreed moron." Haley said from the floor.

Chris smiled from ear to ear. "Sweet. So that means we still have a shot right?"

"Not a chance in hell." She said walking away back into Peyton's office.

-

Brooke and Lucas sat together on the couch in Clothes Over Bros. All the workers finished up and were done for the day. Peyton's All Age's Night is tomorrow, and the Clothes Over Bros grand opening is the following day. They two of them are enjoying their down time while they still can.

"Two more days." Lucas says breaking the silence.

"Two more days." Brooke rasped quietly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asks, noticing how distant and quiet she is.

"What if I fail? What if the store doesn't do well and I fail?" Brooke says looking up at him, her voice full of uncertainty.

"Why would you think that?" Lucas asks gently.

Brooke sighed and hung her head. "I got a call from Victoria an hour ago. She said I set myself up for a failure."

"Brooke, you're not going to fail. That's not possible, she's wrong." Lucas said to her.

"I love you for that, but what if she's _right_? I mean, Tree Hill? Is a boutique really going to do well in Tree Hill?" Brooke asks doubting herself.

"You shouldn't doubt yourself." Lucas says shaking his head. "The store is going to do just fine; _you're_ going to do just fine."

Brooke smiles. "Thank you. I'm just freaking out a bit you know?"

"I know, but you're going to be alright." He says kissing her head.

Brooke stands up and straightens out the creases in her dress.

"Come on, let's get outta here." She says extending her hand out to him.

"Where to?" He asks not hesitating to take her hand.

-

Nathan and Sawyer sit together at the bar. Jake and Haley are still in Peyton's office working on a song, and Chris and Peyton are by the stage either taking or fighting, it's hard to tell.

"Chris, you gotta stop doing that." She warns him.

"Stop doing what?" He asks innocently.

"Pissing people off!" Peyton yells.

"Look, it's not my fault Haley wants me. How was I supposed to know she and Nathan were done and over?" Chris says putting his hands up.

"Okay. First of all, Haley doesn't want you. When are you gonna get that through your head? Second of all it's practically your fault that they are 'done and over'." She said using air quotes.

"She wanted that kiss." Chris says defending himself.

"Okay Chris! It's not about that." Peyton says throwing her hands up in frustration. "Just please stop bugging Haley, and _please_ leave Nathan alone, I really don't want to kick you out of the club."

She turns on her heel ready to leave but his voice stops her.

"The kid's really yours huh?" He asks, genuinely curious.

Peyton turns around with a clear smile on her face. "Yeah, she's really mine."

"And Nathan's?" He asks.

"And Nathan's." She answers.

Chris shakes his head clearing his confusion. "That's weird."

"Peyton laughs. "It's all weird."

"She's seems pretty great." He tells her honestly.

"She is." And with that she turns and leaves him alone with his guitar.

The bartender looks over at Nathan and Sawyer as he's drying off a glass.

"What can I get you?" He asks Nathan.

"Scotch, on the rocks." He says putting one hand over the other.

"And you little lady?" He asks Sawyer.

"Apple juice, on the rocks." Sawyer says attempting to mimic Nathan.

Nathan looks at her and laughs.

"What's on the rocks?" She asks looking up at him.

"Over ice." He laughs.

"Oh." She says tilting her head to the side.

"Scotch on the rocks for the dad and apple juice on the rocks for the little lady." The bartender says putting their drinks in front of them.

Peyton comes up from behind and grabs Sawyer's side and kisses her cheek.

"How's my baby doing?" She asks rocking Sawyer's body from side to side.

"Mommy." Sawyer giggled.

"Mommy." Peyton whines. "How was your day?"

"It was good, we saw Aunt Brooke and Uncle Lucas." Sawyer tells her mom. "And I helped Millie with the scarves." She says taking a sip of her juice.

Peyton looks at Nathan and mouths, 'scarves'?

Nathan nods and shakes his head with a smile.

"Okay, did you have fun? Were you good?" Peyton asks.

"Yes. Mom, I was good." Sawyer says.

"Alright I'm just asking."Peyton says playing with her daughter's hair.

"P. Sawyer! Are you excited about tomorrow night?" Brooke asks loudly walking in with Lucas.

"Yes, I am. I cannot wait to see the turn out." Peyton says hugging her best friend.

"Me either. This is gonna be so fun." Brooke says clapping her hands together.

"What's gonna be so fun?" Haley asks reemerging from the office.

"Tomorrow night Singer Girl." Brooke answers.

"Yeah it is." She agrees. "Hey Peyton, Jake and I are gonna head out. We'll be here early tomorrow though, you don't need to worry." Haley says giving everyone a hug.

"Okay, bye. Don't do anything _too_ crazy tonight." Peyton jokes.

As Haley and Jake make their way out the door, Haley turns around and throws them all a dirty look.

"Those two." Brooke says smirking as they leave. "So what are your plans for the night?" She asks looking over at Peyton.

She shakes her head. "No clue. What about you B.?" Peyton asks.

"Lucas and I were thinking that we could take Sawyer tonight…We'll spend the night at Luke's and you and Nathan can have some much needed alone time." Brooke says smiling at her blond friend.

"Brooke, you don't have to do that." Peyton says trying to fight her on the matter.

"We want to. Peyt, come on. I'm her Godmother, and I want to take her for the night." Brooke said with finality.

Nathan over hears Brooke says that she is Sawyer's godmother, and then it his him, she doesn't have a godfather.

"Hey, Peyton. Could I talk to you for a minute?" Nathan asks awkwardly.

"Sure." She answers just as awkward.

They move away from the bar and out of earshot from Lucas and Brooke.

"I want Lucas to be Sawyer's Godfather." He states, getting right to the point.

"Okay." Peyton agrees nodding her head.

"Really?" Nathan asked, surprised at how quickly she agreed.

"Yeah. He's your brother…and there was a reason why I never chose one for her… I wanted you to do it." She tells him.

"Okay. Let's tell him." Nathan proposed.

They walk back over to Brooke, Lucas and Sawyer.

"Luke, I have to talk to you." Nathan says once they reached the bar.

"What's up man?" Lucas asks his brother.

"Peyton and I were talking and Brooke is Sawyer's Godmother, and we want you to be her Godfather." He said.

Lucas smiled and hugged his brother. "I'd be honored."

Nathan hugged him back. "Great."

"So Sawyer, how would you like to stay with your godparents tonight?" Lucas asked.

Brooke looked back and forth between the three of them. "Godparents? Lucas is her Godfather?!"

Peyton smiled and nodded silently.

"Oh my God, this is so great! Luke we get to spoil her _together_!" Brooke says throwing her arms around his neck.

Lucas laughed gripping her tightly. "So, what do you think?" He asked Sawyer.

"I think yes!" She said giving them the signature Scott grin.

-

Nathan and Peyton returned to her house childless. Brooke and Lucas took her for the night, meaning that the two of them had the house to themselves. Peyton was exhausted, she was at Tric all day, making sure the sound checks were good, playing referee between Haley and Chris, she was on her feet all day and all she wanted to do now was lay down and relax.

"It's so quiet." Nathan said into the darkness.

"Ha. You're telling me. I've been with her every night for four and a half years. This is weird." Peyton says shifting slightly.

"Come here." Nathan says pulling her closer to him. "I love you."

"Mmm. I love you too." She says cuddling up close to him. "I like this."

"Me too." He says kissing her.

"Nathan…" She says. "What are we gonna do about tomorrow?"

"What about tomorrow?" He asks.

"Nate, we can't bring a four year old to an all age's night." She says sitting up.

"Babe, its called an _all age's_ night." He responds with a grin.

"Nathan." Peyton says seriously. "I'm serious. We can't take her, and all our friends are going to be there."

"So we'll find a babysitter." He rationalizes.

"Okay. I have one in mind." She says, perhaps a little too quickly.

"Whoever you want." He says laying back down.

"Deb." She says quietly.

Nathan instantly sits back up. "Deb…as in my mom Deb?"

"Mmm hum." Peyton says nodding.

"No. Peyt, I'm sorry. But,she doesn't know." He says.

"But she should, and we need a babysitter. Come on Nathan." Peyton pleads grabbing his large hands in her small ones.

He sits quietly for a minute or two before he says anything. He sighs heavily and looks into her eyes.

"I'll talk to her first thing in the morning." He says giving in.

She gets up and straddles him. She leans forward and kisses him hard on the lips. "Thank you."

"I'd do anything for you." He whispers.

"She is out of rehab right?" Peyton asks just to be sure.

Nathan puts his head down and laughs. "Yeah, she's out of rehab."

He shakes his head and pulls her in for a searing kiss. He thinks he can kiss her like that every day for the rest of his life, correction; he_ knows_ he can kiss her like this for the rest of his life.

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**Read & Review my lovess!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Deb is being introduced in this chapter. Considering this is my first fic, I've never written her before and I'm not sure if it's true to character. My fingers are crossed that it is, if not....sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.**

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There were a slew of thing that needed to be done at Tric before the doors opened at nine. Peyton, Brooke and Lucas were at Tric setting up and doing all the last minute preparations before the show tonight, leaving Sawyer with Nathan for the time being. Nathan was laying in Peyton's bed alone, thinking back to last night remembering what Peyton had said.

_"Nathan." Peyton says seriously. "I'm serious. We can't take her, and all our friends are going to be there."_

_"So we'll find a babysitter." He rationalizes._

_"Okay. I have one in mind." She says, perhaps a little too quickly._

_"Whoever you want." He says laying back down._

_"Deb." She says quietly._

Peyton wanted Nathan to tell his mother about Sawyer, today, and expects her to babysit tonight. He hadn't spoken to his mother in years and now the first time in God knows how long, he'll be dropping a huge bomb. The more he thought about this, the more unsure he became, but he did promise her after all.

Nathan and Sawyer walked hand in hand up the long driveway and stood together at the door.

He looked down at Sawyer. "Don't say anything, let me do the talking." He warns her quietly.

She looks up at him with serious eyes and nods to her partner in crime.

He takes in a deep breath and rings the door bell.

-

There are a mess of things going on at Tric right now; tonight is the night of Tric's All Age's Night and things are crazy. Fall Out Boy is rehearsing on stage, Peyton is setting up the lighting and Brooke is flirting with Lucas. After much pleading and maybe even some crying, Chris convinced Haley to do the duet with him.

Peyton was attempting to unravel a string of lights when Jake came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Ah!" Peyton yelled jumping and his touch. "Jake, you scared me." She said with her hand over her heart.

"I'm sorry." Jake laughed. "This place is looking great."

"Yeah, it is." She said looking around admiring what has been done. "If I could only…..untangle theses….lights." Peyton said in frustration attempting again to unravel them.

"Here, let me try." He said taking them from her hand. Jake played around with them for a few seconds, and before Peyton knew it he had them untangled and hooked up to the stage.

"Thanks." She laughed out.

"Eh, it was nothing." He joked.

Fall Out Boy finished their song just as Haley and Chris came out of Peyton's office.

"Guys that sounded great. You can chill here, or chill in my office, it's up to you." Peyton said to the band.

"Thanks Peyton, we'll be out here." Pete said to her walking over to the bar.

"Okay, we're done in there. You can have your office back now." Haley said with a smile.

"We could always go back in there, to you know…" Chris starts.

Haley turns around, smacks his chest and walks away.

"Ow, I was kidding." Chris said rubbing the spot Haley just smacked.

"No you weren't." Peyton said looking over at him.

All he could do was shrug his shoulders. "Where's the kid?" He asks curiously.

"With Nathan." Peyton answers quickly. "Get on stage, Haley's waiting for you."

They look at the stage and see Haley sitting on the stool with her guitar in hand and the microphone in front of her mouth tapping her foot.

-

Here's the thing about Deb Scott, she's unpredictable. Sure she's come a long way from being Dan Scott's cheating, pill popping, alcoholic wife, but life has not been kind to her. Her son emancipated himself at 16, got married and divorced before he turned 18, and she tried to kill her husband, who than became mayor of the town not long before he shot and killed his own brother. Somewhere in between that she turned to alcohol and drug to numb her pain. Soon after that, her son shunned her, she divorced her murderous husband and tried to regain control of her life and she has…for the most part. So far she's been out of rehab for three years; she hasn't seen her son in over four. Things are about to change for Deb Scott.

She opens the door and comes face to face with Nathan.

"Nathan." She says staring at him blankly.

"Hi Mom." He says to her letting go of Sawyer's hand to hug his mother.

"Oh, Nathan, sweetie! It's so good to see you." Deb says stepping back, getting a better look at him. "Uh, how…how have you been? I, I've noticed that you haven't been playing."

"Yeah, I uh… I fractured my hand. I'm benched for six weeks." Nathan says with a shrug.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She says sympathetically. "Why don't you come in?" She offers opening the door wider welcoming in her new visitor.

Deb closes the door and walks into the kitchen with her back towards him. "So, um, what brings you by?" She asks. "You've _never_ just come by to say hello to me."

Nathan puts his head down. "I'm sorry."

Deb notices the small girl clinging to Nathans hand and she forehead creases. There is something eerily familiar about the child in her home, something she's seen before.

"Nathan, aren't you going to introduce us?" Deb asks looking at her son.

"Yeah, Mom. That's why I'm here." He says swallowing hard.

Deb puts down the glass of water she had just picked up and cocked her head.

"This…is Sawyer." He says.

"Are you babysitting?" Deb asks incredulously.

"No." Nathan breaths out. "She's mine."

"_Yours_?" Deb asks loudly. "What do you mean_ yours_?"

Nathan looks at Sawyer and then back to his mom. "She's my daughter."

Deb scoffed. "Daughter...Nathan what are you talking about?"

"She's four and a half years old and her name is Sawyer Brooke Scott." Nathan said looking his mother in the eye.

"Oh my God. You're serious." Deb said wide eyed.

"Yeah, Mom…I'm serious."Nathan said squeezing Sawyer's hand.

"I'm…I'm going to go out on a limb and say Peyton's her mother." Deb said looking at her son in shock.

Nathan nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Nathan! You have kept a grandchild from me for almost five years." Deb yells.

"Mom, I never meant…" He starts.

"Five years Nathan!" She yells loudly. "You haven't spoken to me in five years and, and the first time you do, you decided to tell me that I have a granddaughter that I never knew about?!"

"Mom..."

"No, Nathan. Don't…Get out." Deb yells.

"Mom." Nathan pleads.

"Out!" She yells again, this time pointing to the door. "I'll come to _you_ when I'm ready."

Nathan listens to his mother and leaves; he takes Sawyers hand once again and heads for the door.

Deb hangs her head in disbelief. She wants to get to know her granddaughter, she does with all her heart but she knows deep down that Nathan hasn't been the best person he could be. Call it a mother's intuition, but she has a feeling that in those four years she hasn't spoken to her son, history found a way of repeating itself.

-

"_Where do you go when the stars go blue" _Chris and Haley sang together finishing their song.

"How'd that sound Blondie?" Chris asked Peyton into the microphone.

"Haley, you sounded great." Peyton said looking up from her notebook.

Haley smiled and walked off the stage following Peyton into her office. Chris looked around with a confused look on his face.

"What about me?" He yelled.

Nathan came in walking briskly with Sawyer in his arms looking for Peyton.

"Nate! What are you doing here?" Brooke said taking Sawyer out of his arms and giving her a hug and a kiss.

"Where's Peyton?" He asked Brooke looking around for his fiancé.

"She's around here somewhere. Why what's up?" She asked putting Sawyer down.

"I need to talk to her. Can you watch Sawyer for a second?" Nathan asks still looking around for her.

"Yeah, sure. Come on kiddo, let's go find Uncle Luke." Brooke says taking Sawyer by the hand.

Nathan walks up to Peyton's office door and knocks vigorously.

"Come in." He hears her yell from inside.

He opens the door and steps in. Peyton puts down her pen and stands up.

"Hi." She says sweetly from behind her desk.

"Hey Nate." Haley says from Peyton's couch.

"Hey Hales. Uh, Peyton, can I talk to you?" He asks uneasily.

Haley turns around and faces Peyton. "I'm…I'm gonna go out there….and, uh, rehearse."

"Yeah, sure." Peyton says quietly to Haley.

"See ya Nate." Haley says as she walks out the door and closes it behind her.

Peyton steps out from behind her desk and stand in front of Nathan.

"What's going on? It's not Dan is it?" She asks starting to fear the worst.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Nathan says quickly waving his hands.

Peyton relaxed instantly. "Then what?"

"My mom." He said with his head down.

"Nathan, what happened?" Peyton asked leading him over to the couch.

"She freaked." He said looking at her.

Peyton sighed. She had a feeling something like that was going to happen.

"Peyt, she was pissed." Nathan told her seriously. "She told me to leave….and then she said she'd come to me when she's ready."

Peyton shook her head. "Okay, I know she's pissed, but we have six hours to make her okay with this, and to make her un-pissed."

"It's not that easy." He disagreed.

"Nathan, make things right with her. Make it that easy, she's your mom. She'll forgive you, and besides the point, I can guarantee you that 's not the only things she's pissed about." Peyton said. "When was the last time you talked to her before today?"

"Graduation." Nathan admitted shamefully.

"Graduation?!" She asked loudly. "Nathan that was five years ago! You gotta go talk to her."

Nathan leaned over and kissed her gently.

"How did I end up with such a smart fiancé?" He asked kissing her neck.

"Well, your goods look help _a lot_." She joked in a hushed whisper.

"Is that all?" He asked huskily, continually kissing her neck.

"Mmm, your _charming _personality…" She whispered.

"What else?" Nathan asked lifting her, causing her to straddle him.

"Nathan!" Peyton laughed as he lifted her.

"Shh." He said kissing her to silence her.

"Nathan…we…can't…there are….people…out there." She said in between kisses.

"Shh." He said again.

This time she stood quiet and didn't try and fight back. Nathan placed his hand on her back and discreetly slid it up the small of her back sending shivers down her spine. Peyton kissed him with more intensity causing him to grab her hips and take off her shirt. They didn't even hear the door open.

"Peyton, the guys in Fall Ouoooh my God!" Brooke screamed covering her eyes.

"Oh God!" Peyton said attempting to cover herself.

"Brooke!" Nathan yelled.

"I'm sorry!" Brooke began to apologize.

"Damn it Brooke." He groaned.

Peyton got up and searched for her shirt.

"Right there." Brooke said pointing to the navy blue top on the floor.

Peyton smiled meekly. "Thanks."

"Yeah. Look I'm gonna go back…" Brooke says pointing to the door.

"No. I'll go." Nathan says standing from the couch. "I have some things to do."

"Sorry Nate." Brooke offers with a slight smirk on her face.

He waves her off dismissively. "Bye." He says to Peyton, giving her a chaste kiss.

Nathan exits Peyton's office and closes the door behind him.

"Okay, sex in your office?" Brooke asks with her hands on her hips.

"Brooke. Not now. What did you need?" Peyton asks ignoring Brooke's question.

"What did _I_ need? What did _you_ need_?_" Brooke says with a dimpled grin.

"Brooke!" Peyton laughs smacking her friends arm.

"The guys in Fall Out Boy needed to ask you a question...good thing I came in here and not them." Brooke says raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, good thing." Peyton said.

"Come on best friend, we have big things to do!" Brooke said linking her arm through one of Peyton's.

The two friends walked out of the office and into Tric arm in arm ready to face whatever it is they needed to, together.

-

Nathan went back to his mom's house. He knew she said that she would come to him, but this couldn't wait, he needed to see her. Not only because they needed a babysitter for Sawyer, but because this is his mom, and no matter what horrible things she's done, he still loves her. He needs to made things right with her, and the time is now.

He rang the doorbell and took a deep breath.

"Nathan. I meant what I said." Deb told her son when she opened the door.

"Mom, I'm sorry…For everything." Nathan said strongly.

Deb sighed, this was her son and she couldn't stay mad at him, even if she wanted to.

"Come…come in." She said waving him inside.

"You have to know that I never meant to hide her from you." Nathan said to her.

"Then why did you?" Deb asked with sad eyes.

"I…" He started then stopped, he wasn't about to lie to his mom, he saw the disappointment in her eyes. "I don't really have an answer."

"You don't have an answer?" Deb asked rhetorically.

"No. Not one that can justify my actions." Nathan answered honestly.

"Nathan, you have some explaining to do." Deb said with her arms folded across her chest.

Nathan took a seat on the couch and Deb followed suit.

"Peyton got pregnant senior year." He told her with his head down. "I knew, and I went to Duke anyway."

"You knew and you still left her?" She asked her son.

"Yep. Alone and pregnant." He says honestly.

"Damn it Nathan! Have I taught you nothing? Have you learned nothing from your father?" Deb shouted. "You knew what that did to Lucas and Karen, and yet you did the exact same thing to Peyton and your child."

"I know, Mom. I screwed up, and there is nothing I can say or do that will make it right…but I'm here now." Nathan said looking deep into his mother's eyes.

"Sweetie, I don't want you to make the same mistakes your father did." Deb said sympathetically.

"Yeah, well it's a little too late for that." He said shamefully.

"You're in their life now right?" She asked.

"Yeah. We're engaged." He answered with a smile.

"That's all that counts." Deb said placing a motherly hand on his knee. "I'm happy for the two of you."

"I'm in your life now too Mom. I'm not going anywhere." He told her.

"I'm sorry." She says shaking her head. "For the way I reacted. I was wrong."

"You were just being a mom." Nathan said with a smile.

"So…when do I get to meet my granddaughter?" Deb finally asks.

"How's tonight sound?" Nathan asks.

"Well, sure. Do you think she would want to?" She asks.

"Yeah, Sawyer's a great kid. She'll love you." He reassures him mom.

"Would…would it be okay if she spent the night?" Deb asked cautiously.

"I would have to talk it over with Peyton, but I don't think it'll be a problem." Nathan told her, he looked at his phone and noticed the time. There were three hours left until doors open, Sawyer is still at Tric and Peyton is probably freaking out.

"Look I'm gonna get going. I'll get Sawyer ready and bring her over in an hour?" He asks standing from the couch.

"An hour is good." Deb said standing as well. "I'm happy for you Nathan, really. Plus...I've always liked Peyton." She added with a wink.

Nathan gave his mother a strong hug and kissed her briefly on the cheek.

"I love you Mom." He said to her seriously.

"I love you too." She said leading him to the door.

-

Back at Tric things were getting crazy. Everything was ready and in place for the All Age's Night, the only thing they're waiting for is for the doors to open. Haley and Chris were at each other's throats, the Fall Out Boy guys were at the bar, Jake was singing on stage, Lucas and Brooke were watching Sawyer, and Peyton was pulling her hair out.

Nathan came back to Tric once again looking for Peyton. The first person he saw was Jake.

"Hey Jake, do you know where Peyton is?" He asked slightly out of breath.

Jake stopped playing his guitar and pointed to the bar. "She's freaking out."

"Thanks man." Nathan said making his way over to her.

"Hey." He said giving her a kiss.

"What took you so long?" She asked.

"I talked to my mom." He breathed out. "She wants to take Sawyer for the night."

Peyton spun around on the bar stool and looked at him wide eyed. "For the night?"

"Umm hum." Nathan said nodding his head. "Is that okay?"

"Uh…yeah, sure. That's fine." Peyton said finally able to relax a bit. "I'm guessing things went well with your mom."

"Yeah, actually they did." He said.

"I'm glad." She said kissing him.

"Yeah, me too." Nathan said.

Peyton looked around and locked eyes with Brooke, she waved her over.

"What's up P?" Brooke asked cheerily.

"You want to do me a favor?" Peyton asks.

"What's the favor?" She asks back.

"You want to go home and pack some things for Sawyer? She's staying with Deb for the night." Peyton answered turning her back on Nathan.

"Deb? Nathan's mom Deb?" Brooke asked curiously.

Peyton nodded her head.

"Pill popping junkie, I went to rehab Deb?" She continues.

"Brooke!" Peyton scolds, turning around to see if Nathan had caught that. Luckily he hadn't.

"Sorry." Brooke murmured. "I'll get her stuff."

"Thanks." She responded.

"No problem." Brooke said grabbing her purse, leaving Tric.

Peyton and Nathan left the bar and went to the DJ booth to put on some music before the doors opened. It was coming down to the wire, an hour and a half until Tric's All Age's Night was in full swing...and Peyton was in desperate need of some music. Peyton noticed Lucas wandering around looking for someone, probably Brooke, so she waved him over.

"Have you guys seen Brooke?" He asked with a squint, still searching for her.

"Luke, calm down. I asked her to go home and get some clothes ready for Sawyer." Peyton said placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Clothes?" He asks.

"Yeah, she's staying at my mom's." Nathan answered.

"You decided to tell her?" Lucas asks curiously.

"Yeah. She deserved to know her." his brother answers.

"What about Dan?" Luke asks cautiously, fearing his younger brothers reaction.

Peyton looked between the two men. Dan Scott was a touchy subject for both Nathan and Lucas. What Lucas was thinking when he asked that question was beyond her, but she knew the outcome couldn't be good.

"You're kidding right?" Nathan scoffs.

"I don't Nate. Haven't you thought about it?" Lucas questions.

"No! I haven't. I don't want him anywhere near my daughter." Nathan says getting angry.

"What if..." Lucas starts.

"Luke, this conversation is over." Nathan says sourly walking away from the booth.

Peyton and Lucas watch him walk away. They look towards each other and Luca puts his head down.

"Peyt..."

"Lucas, I understand where you're coming from...I do, but Nathan doesn't, not now anyway." Peyton says shaking her head.

"Don't you think he should get to know her too...eventually?" Lucas asks.

"Eventually." She responds. "Eventually."

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**Sorry for the lack of BL, HJ, and even NP. I needed to introduce Deb, and set that whole scenario up, she won't be around too long, just in and out of chapters when she's needed. Next chapter will finish up the All Age's Night, there will be some Deb/Sawyer interaction, and that's about all I got so far. I can promise you there will be more Dan drama in the near future. I apologize for the long wait in between chapters, mid-terms are kicking my butt this week. Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter, read & review.**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I am so so sorry for the long wait in between updates. That is unlike me. No excuse can justify why, but if you would like to know the reason here it is. Mid-terms were killer and then last week I was on spring break, my b-day was on St. Patrick's Day and I am now officially 20 =). I'm finally back at school and my muse is slowly but surely coming back to me. I'm lame I know. **

**In other news, this chapter is focusing on the All Age's Night. I've never used songs in any chapters before so I'm not sure how well this actually played out. I didn't write out the full songs, just bits and pieces. The songs used were "****Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends", "Missing You", "When The Stars Go Blue", "Halo" and "Someday". In that order. Again sorry for the long wait, I really hope you enjoy the latest installment.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters. Or any songs used in this chapter.

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It was roughly eight when Nathan decided to take Sawyer over to his mother's. There was still an hour left until the doors opened, and everyone was on edge. Brooke had Sawyer's bags all packed, and she was willing to sleep over Deb's place tonight and that's all the mattered.

There was no time to waste. Nathan pulled up, got his daughter out of the car, rang the bell kissed his mother and left the two of them standing there watching him speed off into the night.

-

Back at Tric, Peyton was holding a bunch of color coded wrist bands in her hand. She had a singing hole in the pit of her stomach as she kept looking back and forth from the wrist bands in her hand to the people in the club for someone to do the job of admitting people in. Everyone she had laid her eyes on was already preoccupied with a task she had previously given them. Then Junk and Fergie walked in. Jackpot.

"Hey Junk?" Peyton yelled across the floor walking over to him slowly. "You wanna stand outside and hand out wrist bands for me?"

"No problem Peyton." He responded walking over to her and taking the wrist bands out of her hands. Fergie stood there alone without him

"You're a life saver." She smiled and turned to Fergie.

"You wanna be a bouncer?" Peyton asked half joking.

"Sure." Fergie answered shrugging his shoulders heading towards the door.

"Peyton, Fall Out Boy is ready to go on stage." Brooke said walking briskly over to Peyton, and then back over to the stage.

Peyton turned to Junk at the door and gave him the go. As he opened the doors she heard the cheers of everybody outside, the sinking hole in the pit of her stomach disappeared once she saw the massive amounts of people waiting to enter Tric.

"Nice turn out." Nathan said grabbing her waist from behind and whispering in her ear.

"You're here." She said melting into his body.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else." He said kissing her head.

"There're a lot of people." Peyton stated.

"That's a good thing. You'll be fine." Nathan said reassuring her.

Peyton looked around and watched at the club quickly began filling up. There were people at the bar, people on the dance floor, people chatting at tables, and people outside still waiting to enter. This was a great turnout. It was bigger and better than she ever could have imagined, her life couldn't be more perfect than it is right now.

"Hey, what's going on Tree Hill?! Uh…I'd like to welcome you guys to Tric's All Ages Night! We have a lot of great performances lined up for you guys, so enjoy the cocktails at the bar _if _you're of age, and enjoy the music. You guys ready?" Peyton yells from the stage right into the microphone.

The crowd cheers and screams awaiting the first performance.

"Yeah? Okay, great. Well then _please_ help me in welcoming, to the stage, Fall Out Boy." Peyton walks off the stage and the guys from Fall Out Boy walk on.

The lights dim and the noises from drums and guitars start to fill the club.

_"You are a getaway car, a rush of blood to the head  
But me, I'm just the covers on top of your bed  
You steer away in a rear view mirror, you make my head swim  
I keep you warm and won't ask you where you've been"_

"It's amazing she booked Fall Out Boy." Lucas said leaning over the table to Brooke.

Brooke beamed. "That's our P. Sawyer."

Nathan joined them at the table they have been occupying near the bar.

"This is amazing huh?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah. It's a great turnout, and Fall Out boy sounds awesome." Brooke answered.

Peyton was standing in the DJ booth watching on nodding her head to the music.

"Hey. Chris is going on next right?" Haley asked joining her in the booth.

"Hey Hales." Peyton responds moving her head in the direction of Haley, but not her eyes. "Yeah, Keller's up next."

"_Strike us like matches, cause everyone deserves the flames  
We only do it for the scars and stories, not the fame  
At least everyone is trying, everyone is shining  
Everyone deserves the flames but it's such a shame  
Such a shame"_

"Okay. Thanks." Haley says looking at Peyton. "You did great Peyton."

Peyton smiles. "Thanks."

Haley points to the stage. "I'm gonna go backstage and get ready."

"Rock the house Foxy!" Peyton says smacking her ass.

-

Deb and Sawyer sit on the couch in silence with the TV quietly buzzing in front of them. Who knew that babysitting a four year old would be this awkward?

"So, Sawyer." Deb starts. "Uh, did…did you start school yet?"

Deb mentally kicked herself. Did you start school yet; was that the best she got? Sawyer was four years old, what was she afraid of?

Sawyer shook her head. "No. Mommy said not until I'm five."

"Oh, I see. And how old are you now?" Deb asked, although she already knew the answer, she wanted to keep up the conversation.

She turned and faced the older woman sitting next to her. "Four and a half. Mommy says I'll be five soon though."

Silence. Again. Just when she thought they had something going. Damn it.

"Uh, what's your favorite movie? Maybe I have it and we can watch it?" Deb proposed shrugging her shoulders a bit.

"I like The Little Mermaid. She's my favorite." Sawyer beamed.

"Well, it's your lucky day Sawyer." Deb said going over to the cabinet next to the television. She rummaged though it for a second or two before pulling out the movie that Sawyer had requested.

"Sweet!" Sawyer chirped from the couch. "Grandma, can I have chocolate milk?"

Deb turned around and looked as if she had been slapped.

"Gr…Grandma?" She asked stupidly.

Sawyer furrowed her eyebrows. This day was getting more and more confusing for her. She could have sworn that this woman was her Grandmother.

"You're not my Grandma?" Sawyer questioned innocently.

Deb shook her head snapping out of her trance. "Oh. I'm sorry sweetie. Yes, yes…I'm…I'm your Grandma."

"Do you want me to call you something else?" Sawyer asked her.

"I don't know…like…like what?" Deb asked, curious as to where Sawyer was going with this.

"Um, well I knew this girl, named Sarah Jones…and she called her Grandma Nanny…or Nana…or something like that." Sawyer informed her.

"Oh. Humm, Nanny Deb." Deb mumbled under her breath. "Nana….Nanny…Grandma."

"I like the first one." Sawyer admitted.

"Nanny Deb?" She questioned the small child.

Sawyer nodded her head. "I like it."

"Yeah. It does have a nice ring to it huh?" Deb asked.

"It sure does Nanny Deb!" Sawyer said brightly.

Deb smiled. She couldn't help it; this kid was easy to love.

-

"Ladies and Gentleman, let's give it up one more time for Fall Out Boy!" Peyton yelled, clapping her hands as they exited the stage. "Now let's welcome our next performer…Chris Keller."

Chris took a seat on the stool that was set on the stage for him. He took out his guitar and strummed a chord or two before grabbing a hold of the microphone.

"How's it going Tree Hill?" He asked the crowed.

They erupted into a loud cheer.

"_Everytime I think of you  
I always catch my breath  
I'm still standing here  
And your miles away  
And I wonder why you left  
And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight"_

"Who knew there was a softer side of Chris Keller?" Brooke said in awe. "Now I see why Haley kissed him."

Nathan and Lucas narrowed their eyes towards Brooke. That whole incident was years ago, and he's over it, but Chris Keller still bothers him.

Brooke looked at Nathan and shrugged her shoulders nervously. "Sorry."

Lucas looked over at Nathan. "They're doing the duet."

"I know." Nathan said emotionlessly.

"You do?" Luke asked.

Nathan turned to Lucas and Brookes curious eyes. "Yeah. I'll be fine." He answered with a smile.

"_But it's my heart that's begging down this long distance line tonight  
And I ain't missin' you at all  
Since you've been gone... Away  
I ain't missin' you  
No matter what I might say_

_There's a message in the wires  
And I am sendin' you a signal tonight  
You don't know how desperate I've become  
And It looks like I'm losing' this fight"_

-

Sawyer and Deb sat on the sofa together and watched The Little Mermaid and sipped hot chocolate. After they came to an agreement of what Deb would be called, then awkwardness between them disappeared.

"This is my favorite part." Sawyer whispered.

Deb looked at Sawyer with a smile at back to the TV. Sebastian the Crab was she singing to Ariel, Under the Sea.

There was a knock on the door.

"Coming." Deb yelled, getting up to answer the door. "Stay right there." She said pointing at Sawyer.

She opened the door and came face to face with the man she's been running from for most of her life. Dan.

"Hello ex-wifey." Dan said snarky.

"What are you doing here Dan?" Deb hissed.

"I heard you moved back to Tree Hill, came to see your new place." He answered.

"That's a lie, what do you want?" She asked bitterly.

"Revenge." Dan laughed.

"I'm a little busy right now. I think you should leave." Deb suggested, becoming protective of her granddaughter who is watching a movie inside.

Dan shakes his head. "I think I'll stay." He says pushing Deb aside, entering her home.

-

"_I ain't missin' you No" _Chris finished singing as the crowd cheered on.

"Thank you Tree Hill. You're beautiful!" He yelled. "I'd like you to welcome in joining me, Haley James.

Haley walked onto the stage smiling with her guitar in hand; she waved at the crowd before taking a seat next to Chris.

"Tonight, we're going to sing an old throwback of ours. Isn't that right Hales?" He said turning his head to her.

"We'll be singing Ryan Adams' _When the Stars Go Blue_." Haley answered as she looked down at her guitar.

"Go Haley!!" Brooke yelled loudly from the audience.

Haley looked up and smiled brightly.

"Yeah Hales!" Lucas yelled.

Before the two could even play the crowd started clapping and cheering loudly in anticipation.

Haley began to sing, her smooth voice filled the club.

"_Dancin' where the stars go blue  
Dancin' where the evening fell  
Dancin' in my wooden shoes  
In a wedding gown"_

Chris looked at her and sang his verse.

"_Dancin' out on 7th street  
Dancin' through the underground  
Dancin' little marionette  
Are you happy now? Yeah"_

As Chris began to sing, Nathan got up from his seat at the table and went over to Peyton.

"Hey." He said quietly.

"Oh hey….you okay?" She asked, realizing that this song may be bringing back some bad memories.

"I'm better now." He said kissing her.

"It doesn't bother you?" Peyton asked hesitantly.

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "In a way, but that was a long time ago."

"She sounds great." She said indirectly changing the subject a bit.

"Haley always sounds great." Was his response.

_"Where do you go when you're lonely  
Where do you go when you're blue  
Where do you go when you're lonely  
I'll follow you  
When the stars go blue  
When the stars go blue"_

_-_

Deb closed the door behind her and followed Dan.

"Dan!" She yelled.

"Sawyer, what a pleasant surprise."Dan said smiling at the young girl.

"Hi." Sawyer responded uneasily, she looked over at Deb with an apprehensive look.

"Dan, you need to leave." Deb demanded.

"I'm just trying to make nice with Sawyer." He responded.

"You arrogant, murderous bastard, get the hell out of my house before I call the cops and have you arrested for breaking and entering." Deb yelled

"Now Deb, not in front of our granddaughter." Dan said patronizingly.

"I'm not kidding Dan. Out." She said.

Sawyer looked between the two of them, not entirely sure what was taking place before her eyes.

"He didn't even bother to tell you did he?" he asked. "He denied his daughter for five years and hid her from you."

"Sound familiar?" Deb laughed angrily. "He learned from the best."

"Oh, Deb. Your words cut me." He said sarcastically holding his hands to his chest.

"Leave." She said again.

Dan threw his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll go."

He turned away from Deb and got down to Sawyer's level.

"Bye Sawyer." He said giving her a hug. "Grandpa loves you."

Deb looked on a scoffed. He got back up and got close to Deb's ear, too close if you ask her.

"This isn't over." He said before closing the door, leaving her house.

-

"Thank you!" Haley said into the mic. "Give it up for Chris Keller everyone."

Chris waves to them one last time before exiting the stage, leaving Haley alone to sing her new song.

"This next song is something new that I wrote. It's called Halo, and I hope you all enjoy." She smiled.

"_I never promised you a ray of light,  
I never promised there'd be sunshine every day,  
I give you everything I have, the good, the bad.  
Why do you put me on a pedestal,  
I'm so up high that I can't see the ground below,  
So help me down you've got it wrong, I don't belong there."_

"I didn't know Haley wrote a new song." Lucas stated aloud.

"Yeah, she's been working on it since she found out about the All Age's Night." Brooke answered.

"It's good." He said, staring at Haley in awe.

Ten years ago if you asked Lucas Scott where he saw Haley in the future he would have never guessed the stage. He always knew his friend was a good singer and enjoyed doing it, but he never imagined her leaving high school in the middle of junior year to join a rock tour and be as famous as she is now. He's proud of his best friend, she's come a long way from the shy tutor she once was.

"_One thing is clear,  
I wear a halo,  
I wear a halo when you look at me,  
But standing from here, you wouldn't say so  
you wouldn't say so, if you were me  
And I, I just wanna love you,  
Oh oh I, I just wanna love you"_

"I'm so proud of you Peyton." Nathan said randomly into her ear.

"What? Where did that come from?" She asked, still unable to take a compliment.

"I'm proud of you. Look at tonight. You put this together, and it's great." He said in awe of her.

She looks down and blushed.

"I'm serious." He said giving her a quick kiss before returning his focus back over to Haley.

"Thanks."

Mouth, Skills, Fergie and Junk finally came over and joined Lucas and Brooke at their table.

"Hey guys." Brooke rasped. "How's it going?"

"Not too bad B. Davis. How bout you?" Skills asked.

"I'm pretty good." She answered.

"Wow, Haley sounds great." Mouth said with the same expression Lucas had.

Skill, Fergie and Junk all nodded in agreement.

"Who knew?" said Junk.

"So Brooke, your store opens tomorrow. You nervous?" Mouth asked turning to face Brooke.

"Nah. I was more nervous for Peyton tonight than I am for tomorrow." She replied.

"Well, it was a great turn out, Peyton should be proud." Lucas said.

"Yeah." Brooke said looking at him.

"Haley James everybody!" Peyton voice boomed. "And now, for out last act of the night, please welcome, Jake Jagielski."

"Hey Tree Hill. I wrote this song a long time ago, for someone pretty special to me. It's called Someday." Jake said making his first appearance of the night.

"_It's the biggest storm in years they say  
Couldn't take a plane so I hopped a train  
Well my life will stay in a stormy winters day  
So I'll come back to you  
someday"_

Peyton stood silent as she listened to her friend sing. She knew this song, she remembers hearing his sing this once before...to her. It was years ago, a week or so after the school shooting. She remembers it like it was yesterday, she went to Savannah to see Jake, he took her to a small bar and sang this. She had never told Nathan about this, there was never a reason to, they weren't dating, for God's sake she said she loved Lucas in her sleep, that's why it didn't work out with Jake.

_Jake's standing in his bedroom near his window, he's feeling uneasy and can't sleep._

_Peyton stirs in the bed and notices that he's not laying beside her._

_"Jake, you okay?" She asks._

_His arms are folded over his chest as he turns his head slightly. "You know you talk in your sleep?"_

_Peyton closes her eyes. "Oh yeah...I'm sorry." she whispers._

_ He turns around and leans on his door. "I've been wrestling with the thought of...you should go back to Tree Hill. You shouldn't stay here. You can't."_

_Peyton sighs. "Why, what happened?"_

_"You talk in your sleep Peyton." Was his response._

_At this point she sits up, she puts her hair behind her ears and speaks. "Okay so, so what? I..I don't understand. I mumble a few words in my sleep." She laughs slightly. "I mean...what I say, is it really that bad? Did I say I wanted to kill you or something?"_

_"No, you said I love you." Jake answers his arms still folded over his body._

_Peyton smiles. "Okay, well normally that's a good thing."_

_"You said I love you Lucas." He tells her._

_Her face instantly drops._

Peyton shakes her head from the memory. But as soon as she does, another one hits her.

_The gang is all hanging out at Tric for the night and Brooke decided to put on a small little skit on how everyone became friends and fell in love and broke up and all that good drama. There was a flu bug going around and people were dropping like flies. The next scene was one that involved how Haley and Nathan fell in love, only now they were divorced and laughing about it.  
_

_"Okay, P. Sawyer, you're up next, are we good?" Brooke asks quickly._

_"Actually no. Mouth is sick too." She informs her brunette friend._

_"What? But we need him for this scene. I mean, Luke, you could do it." She said looking at him with puppy dog eyes._

_Lucas looks at Peyton, he stomach drops and her heart is in her mouth. This can't be happening, this is the big Naley love scene._

_Lucas sighs. "Fine, I'll do it, but only because I love you." He says to Brooke._

_Oh course, he loved Brooke._

_Lucas and Peyton do the love scene together. They had to exchange 'I love yous" Too bad when Peyton said it, she actually meant it._

_"Way to go with the tears P. Sawyer, you brought down the house." Brooke said enthusiastically once the little show was over._

_Peyton was sitting on the bed crying. "Brooke, I think I still have feelings for Lucas."_

_Brooke furrows her eyebrows. "You mean you care for him as a friend..."_

_Peyton shakes her head regretfully. "No, I mean more than that."_

Once again she snaps out of memory lane and by time she does, Jake is finished singing. She walks up to the stage and grabs the mic.

"Jake Jagielski everyone! Let's give a round of applause to everyone who performed here tonight. You were all wonderful. I want to thank everyone who came out and enjoyed Tric's All Age's Night. Be safe and don't worry there will be plenty more where this came from." Peyton said with enthusiasm.

She looked out into the audience and saw the faces of all her friends and her fiance. They all looked so proud, they were all beaming at her. Tonight was successful, she should feel on top of the world...but why doesn't she?

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**Flashbacks were from season three, episode 21. It just seemed to fit. I don't know, I finally got my muse back and this is what I get. Read and Review =)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.  


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Brooke was in Clothes Over Bros alone, she had her iPod on, blasting through the store. It was opening night and she was touching the place up last minute before the rush of the crowd came in later that night. She was listening to Pictures of You by The Cure, slightly bopping her head and dancing a bit when Peyton walked in with Sawyer in tow.

"You're listening to The Cure?" Peyton asked raising an eyebrow.

Brooke turned around with a smile and placed her hand on her hip. "Hey."

"You never listen to The Cure." Peyton said into Brooke hair as the embraced.

Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "I'm feeling sentimental. And you…" She said looking at Sawyer. "I missed you so much last night."

Sawyer ran and flung her small body into Brooke's welcoming arms. "I missed you too Aunt Brooke."

"Hey, there's a TV in the back room if you want to go watch." Brooke suggested to Sawyer.

She looked to her mother to see if it was alright and Peyton only shrugged. Sawyer ran into the back room without looking back.

"You did great last night. I don't know if I told you, but I'm proud of you." Brooke said seriously to her best friend.

Peyton looked down, her curls falling in front of her face. "Thanks Brooke. You're gonna do great tonight too. I know it."

Brooke smiled but it never reached her eyes. Peyton noticed.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Victoria. She doesn't think the stores going to make it in Tree Hill." Brooke answered solemnly.

"Victoria doesn't know crap about you or your store." Peyton said pulling her in for a one armed hug. "You're gonna prove her wrong."

"What if I don't? I'm trying to put on this brave face in front of everyone, but what if this store does fail? What if I'm a failure?" Brooke asked getting worked up over nothing.

"Hey look at me. You are Brooke Davis. You had your own clothing line in high school, trust me you're _not_ going to be a failure. If you become a failure what will that make me?" Peyton said trying to make her friend feel better.

"Pretty lame I guess." She chuckled sadly.

"Yeah, really lame." Peyton responded.

-

Haley lay in bed with her arm gently resting atop Jake's chest. She listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat and watched the rise and fall of his chest. After the all age's night they had come back to Haley's apartment, it had been the first time either one of them acted on how they feel for each other.

_They stumble into her apartment, lips locked and eyes closed. Haley fumbles around with her keys and her coat as they make their way to her bedroom._

"_Do you have to go back tonight?" She asked breathlessly._

_Jake looks into her eyes and shakes his head. "Nikki has Jenny for the week."_

_Haley smiles and grabs his shirt. "Good."_

_She leads him into her room and shuts the door, as soon as they're inside clothing goes flying. Jake kisses her one last time before pulling away and stopping._

_A look of hurt flashes across Haley's eyes before she speaks. "Is there something wrong?"_

"_No." He answers quickly. "You're beautiful."_

_She laughs shyly and kisses him gently._

"_Are you sure about this?" Jake asks her._

_He knows this isn't her first time, and this sure as hell isn't his, but this is their first time together…he needs to be sure that she's sure. It's funny, he feels something that he's never felt before with Peyton and he likes it…maybe it's a crush…but he's pretty sure it's love._

_She knows why he's asking, he's a gentlemen. They've both had sex before, that much is obvious, but this is their first time together and he wants to make sure she's sure, it's sweet. She likes this feeling, the butterflies in her stomach, the urge to giggle and jump around…this is different from what she had with Nathan…maybe it's easier, maybe it's not, either way she's pretty sure she's in love._

"_I'm sure." She answers as he lowers her to the bed and kisses her passionately; a perfect end to a perfect night._

"This is nice." She said quietly.

Jake looked down at her and smiled contently. "Yeah it is."

She sighed. She knew what was happening next, the all age's night is over and Jake has to go back to Savannah. He's left Jenny in Nikki's care for long enough and needs to get back to his daughter.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. It's…it's just …I don't want you to go. I mean, I… I know you have to but I don't want you to." Haley admitted.

"I don't want to leave either Haley, but I have Jenny and I can't leave her." Jake said with a sigh.

"I know, and I don't want you to…but…" She said sitting up. "What if you brought her here?"

"What?" He asks incredulously.

She tucks some hair behind her ear. "Yeah, you could, um…bring Jenny here. She'll have Sawyer to keep her company and you could find a job in town. It could work." She says hopefully.

"Haley, it's just not as simple as that." Jake answers getting up from the bed.

Haley sighs. "Jake, we can make it that simple."

He walks over to the bed and gently runs his hand through her hair and down the side of her face. "I like you Haley, and I know I could fall in love with you. But I have Jenny to think about. I can't just uproot her from the place she's called home her whole life."

"What if I go with you?" She asks.

"I can't let you do that." He says shaking his head. "You have a life here…and family and they need you, just like Jenny needs me."

Tears are threatening to escape her eyes and she's not too sure why. She shakes her head in a desperate attempt to hide them. "Someday, right?" She asks, referring to his song.

"Yeah, we'll get our someday." Jake answers.

-

It's been a long night and Nathan hasn't spent much time with his brother. He may have overreacted last night at Tric and never really apologized. So he comes strolling into Lucas's bedroom with sweats on and a basketball in hand.

"Luke." He yells, opening the blinds.

Lucas's sleeping form stirs from the bed and raises the covers over his face.

"Luke man, get up." Nathan laughs.

Lucas lifts his head, he squints and Nathan. "What are you doing here?"

"Wake up, were going to the River Court." He answered, turning his back on Luke and walking out the door.

After Luke gets ready they head over to the River Court. Lucas dribbles the basketball on the asphalt as Nathan looks on from the bleachers.

"So, if you can't play…" Lucas says as he runs and shoots. "…then why did you come and wake me up?"

Nathan gets up and chases after the ball.

"To apologize." Nathan huffed.

"For what?" Lucas asked, both hands on his hips breathing heavily.

"Being a dick." He shrugged. "I was an ass last night at Tric."

"Nah. Man, don't even worry about it…it's not my business, Sawyer's your daughter and you make all the decisions." He said brushing it off.

"But you're right." Nathan says tossing the ball into the hoop with his good hand. "I'm allowing my mom to get to know her, why shouldn't I let Dan."

"Well for one he's Dan…but you lived with Dan your whole life, you know him best…and yeah he's done some horrible things, but Sawyer deserves to know her Grandfather." Lucas said almost choking on the words.

Nathan threw the basketball angrily. "But its Dan!" he yelled. "That's what makes this so frustrating."

"Nate. Whatever you choose, I'll support you…even if I don't agree with you." He promised his brother.

"First to score 10 wins." Nathan said checking the ball at Lucas.

-

It was a big night last night for Deb Scott, for the first time in years a five year old child occupied her night. Between movies and snacks Deb had her work cut out for her and now she was cleaning up the mess. After vacuuming the rug in the living room she went on to wash the dirty cups and dishes in her kitchen sink.

And then there was a knock on her door.

She put down the cup and flung the dish rag over her shoulder as she opened the door.

"Dan." She said.

"Is Sawyer still here?" He asked peering inside her home.

"No, Peyton picked her up an hour ago…what do you want, I have things to do." Deb asked impatiently.

"You mean pills to pop?" Dan questioned snidely.

"Very funny. Are we done?" She said with her hands on her hips.

"Not even close." He responded with a smile.

As Dan said that Nathan and Lucas walked up to the door.

"Is there a problem Mom?" Nathan asked his mother as Lucas stood there with a defensive stance.

"Oh, Nathan. No, there's no problem, your father's just leaving." Deb answered.

"Lucas." Dan said nodding his head at his eldest son.

Lucas rolled his eyes and cocked his head in the opposite direction of Dan.

"Nathan." He said acknowledging his youngest. And Nathan ignored him completely, focusing on his mother.

"Dan, you can leave now." Deb said loudly.

"How are Peyton and her daughter? Which one of my sons is Miss Sawyer dating now?" Dan questioned.

Nathan got all fired up when Dan brought up Peyton, and so did Lucas.

"Dan, you should go." Lucas said through his teeth.

"Oh am I hitting a nerve?" he teased.

"Leave!" Nathan shouted.

Dan laughed, turned around and left, leaving his two sons standing there with his ex-wife.

"I'm sorry." Deb says shaking her head.

"Does he stop by often?" Nathan asked his emotions still high.

"Not…not really. Uh, he came by last night." She replied.

Nathan and Lucas looked at each other.

"Did he do anything to Sawyer?" He asked.

"No, he um…he gave her a hug and uh said 'Grandpa loves you'…but I made him leave Nathan I swear." Deb told him.

Nathan ran his hand through his short hair in frustration.

"I'm sorry Nathan."

"It's fine Mom. Would you be able to watch Sawyer again tonight? I'll pick her up before midnight." Nathan asked.

"Yeah, of course. What's going on tonight?" She questioned the guys.

"Brooke's store opening." Lucas answered.

"Oh how nice." Deb said sincerely. "Good for her, she'll be fine."

"She may appreciate hearing that from you. She's been doubting herself." Luke informed Deb.

"I'll stop by…where is it?" She asked.

"Karen's Café."

Deb smiled. "I'll go see her."

-

Peyton and Brooke sat and chatted on the couch inside Clothes Over Bros and Sawyer sat in the back room watching TV. It's been a while since the two of them actually hung out alone, and even though they still weren't alone, it was better than nothing. Between Peyton being with Nathan and Brooke sleeping over Lucas's house they haven't seen much of each other.

"I miss you buddy." Brooke said randomly, her head resting on her hand.

"I've missed you too…God, it seems like we haven't hung out in years." Peyton said.

"I know. We have boyfriends now." She smiled like a teenager.

"We have boyfriends now." Peyton laughed.

"How's it goin with you and Nathan?" She asked her best friend.

"It's goin." Was her response.

Brooke furrowed her eyebrows. "What's that mean?"

Peyton sighed. "I don't know. Last night at Tric when Haley was singing…they way he looked at her and the thing he said."

"What did he say?" Brooke pried.

"It's nothing, I'm probably overreacting."She said waving her hands.

"Peyton, what did he say?" Brooke asked again.

"I said something like, 'Oh, Haley sounds great' and he said 'Haley always sounds great'." Peyton answered with a frown.

"Honey, he was probably just reminiscing. Haley and Chris were there singing, and that's what caused their divorce…and Jake was there too. I know you had to be thinking things too." Brooke said.

"I know, and that's why I'm overreacting." Peyton said sitting up straighter.

"He loves you Peyton. He doesn't want Haley…he wants you." She said putting a hand in her knee.

"I know…and I don't want Jake…or Lucas." Peyton added.

Brooke smiled. "Well I would hope not."

The door opened and the bell rang. The girls heard that clanking on heels hitting the hardwood floor; they faced the door and noticed Deb.

"Hey!" Peyton said greeting Deb.

"Hey Peyton." She replied.

"Deb! Hey, what are you doing here?" Brooke asked getting up from her seat to greet the older woman.

"Lucas told me you're opening your own store…I figured I drop by and check it out before it opens." Deb explained.

"It's good to see you. How've you been?" Brooke asked leading her to the couch.

"I've been good. I'm sober now and have my family back. How about you?" She asked.

"I'm good. Lucas and I are back together, I'm opening my own store. Life is good." Brooke replied.

Sawyer stepped out of the back room and was cradling her broken arm. Peyton immediately got up and ran over to her daughter.

"What's wrong baby?" She asked her gently.

"My arm is bothering me." She said with a pout.

"Okay, you want to go home and take a nap for a bit?" Peyton suggested.

"Mmmm humm." Sawyer answered nodding her head.

Peyton lifted her from the ground and placed a protective hand on her back.

"Her arm's bothering her. I'm gonna head home...I'll see you later Brooke." Peyton said.

"Okay P. See ya later."

"Bye Deb." Peyton said walking over to hug her future mother-in-law.

"Bye, you can drop her off at my house whenever." Deb informed her.

Peyton looked at her in confusion.

"Nathan said you needed me to watch her tonight for the store opening." She said.

"Oh...oh okay. See ya." Peyton said waving one last time before leaving.

Once Peyton left, Deb knew she can finally ask Brooke the questions she came here to ask.

"How are you really doing Brooke?" Deb asked sympathetically.

Brooke smiled and cocked her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Anything. How do you feel about the store opening, how do you feel about Lucas. I'm here if you want to talk." She said in a motherly tone.

"I'm nervous." Brooke admitted.

"About what?"

"Everything." she said throwing her hands up. "I'm nervous about the store doing well....and I'm nervous about falling too hard for Lucas because it hurt so bad the last time, and then there's Peyton and Sawyer."

"What about Peyton and Sawyer?" Deb questioned.

"I'm scared I'm going to lose them. Nathan is back in their lives and I'm scared...I'm scared they aren't going to need me anymore." Brooke said wiping a stray tear that fell from her eye.

"Brooke, I..I know I'm not your mother, but I'm proud of you." She told the brunette fashionista. "Your store is going to do fine, you are going to do fine. And call it a mothers intuition, but Nathan and Peyton are very much in love, and I saw it in Lucas's eyes that he is very much in love with you...you don't have to worry about that."

"Thanks Deb. I really needed to hear that." She said shaking her head.

"And as for Peyton and Sawyer, I have a feeling that they are always going to need you. You took care of them while my son became his father. So thank you." Deb said resting her hand on Brooke's knee.

Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "I'd do it again in a heart beat."

-

Haley sat on her bed and watched as Jake put on his coat, a muffled sigh escaped her lips.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked noticing her mood.

"It's nothing." Haley said brushing it off. She stood from the bed and slipped on her shoes. "You can't stay for Brooke's store opening? I know she would love it if you came....I would love it if you came."

Jake licked his lips and sighed. "I'll call Nikki and ask if she can keep Jenny one more night."

Haley smiled, she went up on her tippy-toes and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"I meant it when I said that I could fall in love with you Haley James." He whispered.

"Oh....I could fall in love you too." She whispered back.

-

Peyton entered her childhood home with her daughter in her arms. It has been a rough month and the madness is finally starting to die down. She brings her sleeping daughter upstairs and places her gently into her bed. What was going through her mind last night when Jake was singing, why did she think of the things she did? The All Age's Night was successful and that's all that matters, they made a great amount of money and everyone loved the performances. Tonight is Brooke's turn to shine and she is going to help her best friend make it the most memorable night ever.

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**Okay, not my best work, but I hate not posting for weeks at a time. So this is chapter 25...read & review. =)**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Wow, I suck I know. Sorry for the delay, school is just about over and I can focus my full attention on this story.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters. Or any songs used in this chapter.**

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Its official, Clothes Over Bros is now open for business. The store was buzzing with residents from Tree Hill, as well as all of Brooke's friends. Brooke stood by the register watching everyone enjoy themselves, she was absolutely glowing. Doors opened less than an hour ago and already she sold over twenty-five items. Tonight was going to be a good night, her boyfriend, her best friend and Nathan had all walked in together, walking straight towards her.

Peyton went over to her best friend with a giant smile on her face.

"Brooke, how awesome is this?!" She asked

"I know! I think that the whole town showed up you guys!" Brooke answered with enthusiasm.

Nathan and Lucas laughed.

"I can't blame em. There hasn't been a party here since, well forever. I can't believe I got in looking like this." Lucas said.

"Oh stop. You look fine." She said with a dimpled smirk.

Peyton smiles at the couple, she turns from them as a dress catches her eye. She picked it up off the rack and held it up. This is definitely not something she would wear, she was a mother. The dress was beautiful; low cut, A-line, and green, something that would highlight all her best features.

"That is some dress." Nathan says coming up behind her in front of the mirror.

"Oh, I dunno. You don't think it's too sexy?" Peyton asks holding the dress up to her body.

"Well, it's not something a respectable fiancé and mother would wear, you should definitely get it." He winks suggestively at her.

"The dress is on me." Brooke says grabbing Peyton from behind.

"No, I can't let you do that…Brooke, I, I love it, but you do not have to do this. You've already done so much for me." The blond states putting the dress back on the rack.

"I can do anything I want, it's my party. Think of it as a present for taking such good care of my goddaughter." She says squeezing Peyton's shoulder. "Sorry I don't have anything for you Nate."

"Oh, that's okay, it's a present for me too." He says flashing them the infamous Scott grin.

"Well." Brooke says raising an eyebrow. "Well." She says changing her tone slightly as she notices Haley and Jake walk in arm in arm.

"Check out Tutor Girl and Single Dad." Brooke says leaning over to Peyton.

Peyton looks at her and laughs. "Hey you two."

"Brooke, this is amazing." Haley gushes hugging the designer.

"I know, I know! Look around, this is crazy! Hey, if you find something, it's yours." Brooke smiles.

"She's really done a hell of a job with this place." Jake says to Lucas.

"Yeah she has. I'm proud of her." Lucas smiles.

The three girls are checking our Brooke's designs and sipping wine when Peyton notices Nathan look at his phone and step outside.

Nathan looked at his phone and sighed. This was the phone call he was dreading, and it had to come on tonight of all nights. He had to take the call; he glanced at Peyton quickly and stepped outside.

"Frank." He said into the phone.

"Hey Nate. How'd your daughter?" The man asked.

"She broke her arm, but she's doing a lot better."Nathan told him, a smile creeping upon his face at the mention of his daughter.

"Good, that's good to hear. How about your hand? How's that coming along?" Frank questioned.

Nathan looked down at his hand and furrowed his eyebrows. "Better I guess."

"Okay, well, we have a situation. Jeremy is out with a torn meniscus. We want the doctors here to reexamine your hand; you've been on vacation long enough Nate." Frank told him bluntly.

A million things were going through his mind. Jeremy's knee, leaving his girls, playing basketball again, but most of all leaving his girls.

"What does that mean coach?" He asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"It means you're coming back to Charlotte." Was his response.

Nathan sighed deeply; this was the last thing he wanted. He loved basketball, but he loves his family more.

"Nathan." Frank said loudly into the receiver.

"I'm here. I uh…I gotta talk to my fiancé." He sighed.

"Oh you're engaged! Congratulations! I'll see you tomorrow night, we can celebrate." Frank said before hanging up.

Nate put his hands in his pocket; he tilted his head back looking up into the dark night sky.

"You okay out here?" Peyton asked from behind him.

He turned around to meet her.

"I saw you cut out of there." She said to him.

Nathan shook his head and sighed pulling her in, embracing her.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Frank called." He said looking down at her.

"Oh."

"Yeah. I have to be back in Charlotte tomorrow night." He told her.

"Tomorrow night?" Peyton asked disappointment evident in her voice.

He nodded.

"But, why…why so soon?" She asked.

"Jeremy tore his meniscus. So he's out for the rest of the season…they're gonna try to get me back in." Nathan told her.

"Nathan, your hand…it's broken."

"They want a second opinion. Check to see if I can it off earlier." He said shrugging his shoulders.

Peyton nodded her head and looked at him with her large green eyes.

"I love you, you know that?" She murmured.

He closed his eyes and kissed her. "I cannot wait to marry you."

* * *

"Thank you for shopping at Clothes Over Bros! Come back soon." Brooke said smiling handing the customer their bag.

Peyton and Nathan walked back in together, their faces etched with an unreadable look. Brooke noticed this and immediately panicked.

Brooke rushed out from behind the counter.

"P, is everything okay?" Brooke asked quickly.

"It's fine." Peyton assured her friend.

"Peyton. I'm serious." She probed.

"So, am I." Peyton responded. "Look, we have to cut out of here early, but I am so proud of you Brooke Davis. Tonight was amazing."

Brooke furrowed her eyebrows and gave a small smile. "Thanks." She whispered.

"You did an amazing job Brooke." Nathan said embracing her.

"Thanks Nate…Call me when you're home okay?" She directed at Peyton.

"I will." Peyton responded hugging Brooke.

* * *

"Nanny Deb, can we get ice cream?" Sawyer asked her grandmother.

"Um…does your mom usually let you have ice cream so late?" Deb asked.

Sawyer thought about it for a second. "All the time." She said nodding her head confidently.

Deb smiled, she knew Sawyer was lying, but she was a grandmother, and grandmothers spoil their grandchildren. "Get your sweater."

"Yes!" Sawyer shouted jumping up from the couch.

Deb's phone rang, she took one look at the caller ID, and it was Nathan.

"Nathan, is everything okay?" She asked with concern.

"Yeah Mom, everything is fine. Would you be able to keep Sawyer for another night?" He knew he was asking a lot from his mother, she just found out she was a grandmother and now he's throwing Sawyer at her.

"Of course I can." Deb answered.

"Thanks Mom. We owe you." He said into the phone.

"My mom said she'd keep her for the night." Nathan said after hanging up the phone.

"I hate doing this." Peyton said to him, stopping in the middle of the street.

Nathan sighed. "I do too, it's just…I need you."

"Nathan, I'm right here."

"No, I need you." He said moving closer, pulling her in for a searing kiss.

"How quick can we get home?" Peyton asked slightly out of breath.

* * *

The couple stumbled into Peyton's home, hastily making their way to the bedroom. They didn't speak a word; they didn't have to. They each knew what the other was feeling. They needed this; alone time, intimacy, before he left for Charlotte for God knows how long.

Nathan looked her up and down; his eyes darkening immediately. "You're beautiful."

"Stop." She said, pushing her hair out of her face.

"I'm serious. You're Beautiful. You're an amazing mother, you're a great friend, and you're sexy as hell." He said huskily.

"Oh yeah…what else?" Peyton teased.

"You're passionate, immature, and great in bed…" he said.

"Nathan!" She laughed smacking his arm.

"What? I'm just saying…" Nathan said holding his hands up in surrender.

Things got quiet; Nathan looked at her seriously and took a deep breath.

"Do you want another baby?" He questioned cautiously.

"What!"

She could have sworn she was hearing things, another baby? They are just about getting by with Sawyer, never mind adding another baby into the mix.

"Do you want..."

"I heard what you said." She said holding a hand up.

"Well, do you?" He asked.

"Nathan…" she said quietly, "are you seriously asking me this?"

She didn't want another baby, it was obvious. Nathan looked at her and sighed. "That's a no."

"No, Nathan, it is not a no…. It's just…we're not married yet, and Sawyer is still young…we're still young and you're just getting back into our lives, I mean…not now." Peyton explained, green eyes filled with sadness.

He looked away, she was right, it was too soon.

"Nathan, I want another baby with you." She said with sad eyes. "But I want our next baby to be born into a world where both of their parents are married, and are ready to be parents again."

"You're right. I'm sorry for bringing it up." He told her.

"Don't be sorry, we have to talk about these kinds of things." She said placing a gentle hand on his arm.

"I love you Peyton Sawyer." He said leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you too Nathan Scott." She said kissing him right back. "You know, about having another baby…"

"You changed your mind?" Nathan asked hopefully.

She shook her head. "No, but practice make perfect." She whispered into his ear.

* * *

Legs were intertwined underneath the bed sheets, cells phones were off and the sun was peaking in through the window. That's how Nathan and Peyton woke up. Well that and Brooke Davis storming in with a cranky four year old.

"Peyton! You better be home! I swear, if I find out…AHH!" Brooke screams closing her eyes and covering Sawyers.

"Damn it Brooke." Nathan said quickly pulling on a pair of pants.

"Hey Hot Shot." She rasped, her eyes still closed

"Hey baby girl. How was your sleep over with Nanny Deb?" Nathan asked scooping his young daughter up in his arms. "Let's get you some breakfast."

Brooke watched the father and daughter leave and quickly turned around to face her blond friend.

"Peyton…." Brooke said.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Deb called me, she panicking because she couldn't get in touch with you or Nathan. P. Sawyer, this isn't like you. What's going on?" Brooke asked full of concern.

Peyton sighed. "He's leaving again."

Brooke's eyes grew large. "What do you mean he's leaving again? Leaving you and Sawyer? For how long?"

"I don't know. His coach called, they want him to come back." Peyton said still not believing it herself.

"But his hand, it's broken." She said taking a seat on the bed.

"Yeah, I know. It's this whole mess." Peyton sighed.

"I'm sorry P. Sawyer, is that why you left early last night?" Brooke questioned putting two and two together.

She nodded. "I didn't want to leave Brooke, it's just…it seems like we never have enough time. And then once we get it…I don't know." Peyton started.

"I get it." The brunette said scooting closer to her friend. "But pretty soon his seasons going to be over, they two of you will be getting married and making a bunch more beautiful broody babies."

"Oh God." Peyton said, reliving the night before.

"Are you pregnant?" Brooke asked loudly.

"Brooke!" Peyton said through her teeth. "Keep your voice down."

Brooke smiled triumphantly. "You are pregnant, aren't you?"

"No. I am not pregnant." Peyton reassured her. "Nathan asked me if I wanted to have another baby." She said biting her lip.

Brooke's eyes went wide with surprise. "Wow, another baby."

"Yeah, another baby."

"Well what did you say?" Brooke asked.

"I told him not now. I mean, I do want another baby, but I want to be married and prepared. I don't want to have to raise another child without a father." Peyton revaled.

"Peyton, Nathan wouldn't do that to you. Not now, not after everything that's happened. That boy loves you, he would do anything for you and that little girl." Brooke said gently.

Peyton nodded her head. "I know, I just want to do thing right this time around. You know?"

"Yeah, I do. Okay, get dressed, come downstairs and have breakfast with us." Brooke said getting up from the bed heading towards the door.

"I miss you Brooke." Peyton said.

"Get dressed." She said disappearing down the hall.

* * *

**Once again sorry for the delay. This chapter is short, but I didn't feel right adding anything else to it. Hope you enjoyed it. Read & review. =)**

***Sorry I've re-posted this chapter like 3 times, the story wasn't changed, just small glitches, sorry.  
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	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Here is the latest installment of More Than Anyone. I hope you like it, this chapter and the next few that will follow are just going to tie up a few loose ends before the wedding and Dan drama, and all that good stuff. =) Sorry I've been taking so long, but I hope that this makes up for it. Enjoy...read and review. Tell me me what you like and what you don't like and even tell me what you would like to see happen. I love when you guys do that! And thank you to all of my reviewers, when I read you reviews, it encourages me to write. Oh, and one last thing, the flashback is from season 1 episode 10...for anyone who is interested.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.**

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By time Peyton got down stairs Nathan had breakfast already made. Sawyer and Brooke were sitting at the kitchen table eating scrambled eggs and toast. Nathan was busy frying up some bacon.

"Yumm, this smells good." Peyton said making her way over to the table.

"Isn't Daddy such a good cook?" Sawyer asks showing a forkful of eggs into her small mouth.

"Hey, small bites! Small bites." Peyton scolds sitting in the chair closest to Sawyer.

"Here is the bacon, all finished." Nathan said bringing the plate over to the table and taking a seat in between Peyton and Brooke.

"This is pretty good Nate. Better then what we usually get." Brooke says looking at Peyton.

Peyton glares at her.

"What do you usually get?" Nathan asks.

"Cereal." Brooke and Sawyer answer together.

"So Nate, what are your plans for the day?" Brooke asked chewing on a piece of bacon.

Nathan looked back and fourth between Brooke and Peyton. "Uh, I was actually thinking on spending the day at the River Court with the guys."

"Oooooh, guys day." Brooke responds.

"Yeah, something like that." He said taking a sip of coffee. "I was thinking that you three could have a girls day with Haley."

Peyton nodded her head. "How does that sound baby girl?" She asked her daughter.

Sawyer scrunched up her nose and shook her head.

"No?" Peyton asked, slightly taken back.

Sawyer shook her dark curls yet again. "I wanna have a guys day with Daddy and Uncle Lucas."

Brooke laughed and immediately stopped once she noticed how serious Sawyer was.

"Honey, you're not a guy though." Peyton tried explaining to her.

"Yeah and they guys are going to play basketball." Brooke chimed in. "If you go with the guys you'll miss out on shopping and getting your nails done."

"You're bribing my kid?" Nathan asked.

Brooke ignored him.

Sawyer sat there with her good arm tucked gently underneath her broken one, her beautiful smiling face, with a scowl now plastered across it.

"You really want to hang out with the guys?" Peyton asked.

She nodded her head fiercely and looked at her father with her large pleading green eyes.

"Peyton." He said, averting his eyes away from his daughters.

"Fine." Peyton conceded. "If you really want to, I'll get you ready."

The small girl hopped off the chair she was sitting in a hugged her mother tightly.

"Thank you Mommy! Thank you!" She chirped.

"You;re welcome. Go upstairs. I'll meet you up there." Peyton said kissing her daughters forehead.

She looked at Nathan apprehensively. "Are you Okay with this?"

"Yeah. We'll be fine." He answered as he finished his breakfast.

"Well, I better help her." Peyton said starting to stand.

"I'll do it." Brooke offered.

"You sure?"

"Positive." She responded with a smile.

Brooke left Nathan and Peyton in the kitchen alone.

Peyton glanced over at her fiance. "So what time are you leaving to go back?" She asked as she watched him clean up the table.

"I should leave by seven, you know, to get there before it's too late." He told her, his back facing her direction.

She sighed. This was that part that she hated. Him leaving. She knows he has to, and she wants him to be great; because she knows he is, she just doesn't want him to leave again.

"I don't want you to go." She said to him.

Nathan turned around. His stormy blue eyes met her emerald green.

"Hey, I can call up Lucas and cancel our plans if you want me to. I don't have to go to the River Court." He said moving closer to her.

Peyton got up and shook her head sadly. "No. That's not what I'm talking about. I don't want you to go to Charlotte."

Now it was Nathans turn to sigh.

"I don't want to go either, but we both know that I have to." he said pulling her in close to him.

They stood there quietly, together. Her head resting gently upon his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.

Meanwhile, upstairs Brooke and Sawyer were in her room deciding on what to wear today. Brooke was sitting comfortably in Sawyers bed as Sawyer was attacking the heap on clothing on the floor.

"You do know that the guys are going to be playing basketball the whole time right?" Brooke asked Sawyer from the bed.

All Sawyer could do was nod. She was way too busy rummaging through all her clothes that we scattered all over her bedroom floor.

Brooke raised an eyebrow at Sawyers silent answer. "What's so great about hanging out with your Dad and the guys anyway?" She asked as she played with Miss Fluff's ears.

Sawyer lifted her head and noticed what Brooke was doing. She marched over to her bed and grabbed Miss Fluff out of Brooke's hands. Brooke threw up her hands in surrender.

"Daddy always says Uncle Luke can't go left. And Uncle Luke says that Daddy has a weak ass jump shot." Sawyer told her Godmother seriously.

Brooke's eyes went wide. "Sawyer!" She chuckled.

"And the guys are really funny. They even let me play with them." She finished.

"You really don't want to hang out with me, your mom, and Aunt Haley?" Brooke tried asking one more time.

"Nope." She answered picking up a dress from the floor.

"Fine! I'll remember that next time you need something Sawyer _Brooke_." Brooke states, getting up from the bed.

"I want to wear this." She says holding up a green and white stripped sundress.

"Sweetie, you're going to the River Court. You can't play basketball in a dress." Brooke says searching for another outfit.

Her comment caused Sawyer to erupt into a fit of giggles.

"Okay," Brooke rasps spinning around with her hands on her hips. "what's so funny?"

"Aunt Brooke, I'm not going to play basketball."

"If you're not going to play basketball, then what are you gonna be doing?" She questioned apprehensively.

"Drawing." She answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, you are so your mothers daughter." Brooke said under her breath.

* * *

Sawyer held on to her fathers hand as they waited for Lucas to open the door.

"Hey Nate, we're just waiting on...Sawyer?" He stated with a slight furrow to his brow. "I thought today was..."

Nathan shrugged his shoulders causing Lucas to stop. "She wanted to come, I couldn't say no."

"Nah, it's Okay man." Luke said patting his brother on the shoulder.

Lucas walked straight into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "So what's the plan for today?"

Nathan shifted uncomfortably and glanced from Lucas to Sawyer.

"Yeah Daddy, what's the plan for today?" Sawyer piped up in her green sundress.

"Okay." Nathan said lowering himself to his daughters eye level. "Today we're going to do something top secret."

"We are?" Lucas and Sawyer asked in unison.

* * *

Haley walked up to the front door of Peyton and Brooke's home, with her purse and a box in hand. She knocked on the door twice. No answer. They were supposed to be having a girls day, so she decided to just walk on in, so she did. Only to find the house empty. No Peyton. No Sawyer. No Brooke.

"Hey guys. I'm here." Haley shouted as she closed the door.

"Anyone home?" She questioned as she walked around the living room, placing the heavy box on the table. She stopped when she heard a noise coming from the stairs.

"We're upstairs Tutor Girl!" She heard Brooke shout from her room.

Haley tossed her purse on the couch and laughed. She picked up the box from the table and made her way over to the stairs.

"Haley James get your ass up here!" Peyton yelled.

Haley made her way upstairs. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

"That's what she said." Brooke shouted.

"Ha ha. Very funny you guys." Haley said turning the corner into Brooke's bedroom.

"Hey Hales." Peyton said from the floor.

"What are you two doing? And there is Sawyer?" Haley asked taking a seat on the floor next to Peyton.

"Sawyer is spending the day with the guys and _we_ are taking a trip down memory lane." Brooke answered, pointing to all the pictures, yearbooks, and memorabilia scattered on the floor.

"This is why you told me to bring all this old stuff?" Haley asked gesturing to the box in her hand,

"Very observant." Brooke said.

"Oh God. Brooke, do you remember this day?" Peyton asked Brooke, handing her a picture of the two of them. They were laying on her bed when they were in high school.

"Wow. This is old. It's from what? Junior year?" Brooke asked examining the picture.

"Yup. Right about the time Luke joined the Ravens." Peyton answered giving Haley a look.

_Peyton was laying on her bed, sketching, as them music from her record filled her room._

_Brooke appears in the threshold quietly, before she says anything aloud, she grabs Peyton's Polaroid camera from the quickly takes a snap shot of Peyton sketching, causing her to turn around._

_"What are you doing?" Peyton asked looking back at Brooke with a smile before she resumes sketching._

_"Documenting...A day without cheer...hour one." She jokes, joining her friend on the bed._

_Brooke furrows her eyebrows. "There's something wrong with this picture though...Oh I know what it is, I'm not in it." She laughs._

_Peyton gives her a small smile, she watches as her bubbly friend picks up the camera._

_"Come here." She says getting closer to Peyton. She snaps a picture of the two of them on the bed and Peyton resumes drawing once again. Brooke looks at her and pauses._

_"Would you please draw your freaky drawings later?...There is no basketball. We're young, we're gorgeous. We have all this free time so let's do something fun." Brooke suggests._

_"What about Lucas? I'm sure he'd be up for some fun." Peyton says in a low voice. "Probably some Polaroids too."_

_Brooke raises her eyebrows and puts down the picture. "Lucas." She states quietly. "The monkey in the room."_

_"Elephant." Peyton corrects._

_"Whatever." The brunette laughs. "Look, I came to make sure there's no weirdness about that. You're my best friend, and I would never cut you out for a guy...okay, no matter who he is, or how happy he makes me."_

_"Brooke, I'm cool with you and Lucas." The green eyed blond answers._

_"You sure?" Her best friend asks._

_Peyton nods. "Yeah, I just...I just wanna draw for a little bit." She says glancing downward. "How bout a rain check?"_

_Brooke makes a face and then cracks a smile. "You can count on it...Hoes over bros."_

_The fist bump._

_"I am gonna borrow this though. In case he's feeling frisky." Brooke gets up with the camera. "Thanks."_

_Brooke leaves, leaving Peyton alone in her bedroom again. Peyton glances over at the picture Brooke just took. She reaches her slender arm over and grabs it. She looks at the picture of the two of them, best friends._

"Well...I never asked...was he feeling frisky?" Peyton joked.

"Not funny P. Sawyer." Brooke retorted.

"I'm sorry." She laughed.

Haley joined in on the laughter. Brooke reached over, attempting to smack her. She missed causing even more laughter.

* * *

Nathan pulls up to a store a few blocks away from Brooke's boutique. He gets Sawyer out of the back seat and Lucas gets out of the passenger seat. Lucas scratched his head a looked at Nathan.

"A jewelry store?" He asked.

"I asked her to marry me." Nathan responded.

Luke smiled and looked down. "With no ring."

"Yup." Nathan said lifting Sawyer into his arms. "Now you can't say anything to Mommy about this okay. It has to be a surprise."

Sawyer nodded her head and held out her pinky. "You and Momma are gonna get married?" She asked.

"Yeah baby." Ne answered.

"And then we'll be a real family?" She asked innocently.

Nathan shook his head in shame. "Yeah, we'll be like a real family."

He looked over at Luke with a helpless look. "Hey Sawyer, how about we help your dad pick out the perfect ring for your mom. Okay?" Lucas suggested.

She nodded happily. Nathan shot Lucas a quick thank you as they entered the jewelry store. As soon as the three of them set foot inside, they were greeted by a short middle-aged blond with glasses.

"Hello, welcome to Hennessy's Jewelers. Are you looking for anything specific today?" She asked them.

Nathan put Sawyer down and looked around a bit. "Yeah...I'm looking for an engagement ring." He said with a furrowed brow.

"You can follow men and I'll show you our selection." The woman said turning on her heel, urging Lucas, Nathan and Sawyer to follow her.

"Daddy! Look at this one!" Sawyer exclaimed standing on her tippy toes.

"How sweet. You brought your daughter along." The blond woman states, smiling at Sawyers enthusiasm.

"Yeah and my brother." Nathan said offhandedly looking at some rings. "Trying to find the perfect ring for my fiance."

The woman looked at him questioningly. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly as Lucas answered for him.

"Proposed without a ring." Luke added for him.

Sawyer nodded matter-of-factly.

"Hey Nate, how about this one?" Lucas asked calling him over to the ring.

"Daddy...This one is perfect. Momma will love it." Sawyer said in awe.

She was right, Peyton would love it. The ring was just right; a sliver band with a princess cut diamond in the center, and smaller diamonds trailing down the sides. This was the ring that Nathan had always dreamed would be on Peyton's finger. It was perfect, this was the ring.

"I'll take it." Nathan said, unable to take his eyes off the ring. "Good choice Luke."

"It wasn't me. Thank your daughter." Lucas responded, giving credit where credit was due.

"It's a beautiful ring Mr..."

"Scott." Nathan answered.

"Scott...as in Nathan Scott?" The woman asked.

"The one and only." He answered with a smile.

"Well, your fiance is a very lucky woman Mr. Scott."


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: This chapter is a lot of Peyton/Haley interaction with a few Naley flashbacks. Once again, just tying up loose ends. The big proposal is next chapter, which should be filled with lots and lots of NP goodness! =) Hope you like this chapter. Read & Review. The last flashback is from season 2 episode 13.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

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Haley, Peyton and Brooke were sitting on the floor of Brooke's bedroom with a mess of memories scattered on the floor. This is what their "girls day" has consisted of, but they weren't complaining. going through old memories of their childhood was fun, and a great way to spend a day together.

"Oh my God, if Luke knew I was showing you this he would kill me!" Haley exclaimed, raising a picture of a young Lucas in the air.

"No!" Peyton laughed grabbing the picture out of Haley's hand.

Brooke scooted over closer to Peyton. "Is that Lucas?" Brooke laughed.

Haley nodded her head. "It was out first day of Kindergarten. Of course it wouldn't be the first day of school without my mom taking a picture."

"Oh! Ha ha!" Peyton said pointing to the picture. "Look at that comb-over!"

"Brooke, you better hope your kids have your genes..not Luke's." Haley jokes.

"Guys!" Brooke exclaims in shock.

* * *

Nathan, Lucas and Sawyer walked out of the jewelry store into the warm North Carolina air.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Nathan asked aloud, holding the box between his fingers.

Lucas put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Nate, she's gonna love it. Don't worry about it."

"When are we going to the River Court? I wanna draw." Sawyer questioned.

"You know what? I have an idea." Nathan said putting the box in his pocket.

They got into Nathans car and drove right to the River Court.

"Luke, can you call the guys?" Nathan requested.

Lucas was shooting hoops when the guys showed up.

"Ay yo Nate! Luke said ya'll needed some help wit something." Skills said with Junk and Fergie trailing behind him.

Skills noticed Sawyer sitting on the bleachers drawing on her sketch pad. "Hey Miss Sawyer Scott. What's goin on baby girl?"

"Daddy's asking Momma to marry him." Sawyer piped up from the bleachers.

"Oh iiight Nate!" Skills yelled clapping his hands.

"Damn Nate!" Junk replied.

"Congrats bro!" Fergie said clasping a hand on his shoulder.

Nathan smiled. "We're already engaged. I'm just giving her the ring."

"So what are we doin here then?" Skills asked momentarily confused.

* * *

"Hey, are you guys hungry? Because I'm starving!" Brooke asked getting up from the floor.

"Hell yeah!" Haley said.

"Whatcha buyin me?" Peyton asked.

"Humm? That's a surprise." Brooke said shrugging her shoulders exiting her room.

When Brooke left Peyton glanced over at Haley. She was shuffling through a bunch of old picture. Peyton shifted her eyes from Haley to her hands in her lap, she's been itching to talk to Haley, she just never found the right time. Well, right now was the perfect time, and she took advantage of that.

"Hey Hales, I've been meaning to talk to you about something." Peyton said nervously.

"Sure, what's up?" She asked lifting her head.

"It's about Nathan...about being married to Nathan." The blond stated.

"Ah." Haley whispered sitting up a little bit straighter.

"I just...It's that...you were..." Peyton babbles.

"Married." Haley finishes.

"Yeah." Peyton breathes out. "I guess what I'm asking for is..."

"My blessing?...You got it." Haley says seriously.

"Are you sure Haley?" Peyton asks hesitantly.

The petite brunette nods her head seriously.

"How are you okay with this?" Peyton asks curiously.

"Same way you are. Let me ask you this. Why are you comfortable with Brooke and Lucas being together?" Haley questions.

"Because she's my best friend and he loves her." She responded.

"Same goes here Peyton. Look, Nathan and I haven't been married in a long time." Haley said.

"Do you ever think about it?" Peyton continues asking.

Haley cocks her head in confusion.

"All of it...any of it." Peyton clarifies.

"Sometimes." Haley nods. "Peyton, we were young, naive and rebellious... at least I was." She starts to explain. "I wouldn't change anything that happened between us okay? And I don't regret any of it. I loved Nathan, and I know he loved me...he just loved you a little bit more." Haley admitted.

* * *

_Nathan was sitting on one of the chairs in the kitchen in the apartment he shares with Haley. He still couldn't believe that Haley had been E-mailing Chris while he's been on tour. Sure she said that Taylor had done it to stir up some trouble, but something told him she was lying. He lifted his head when he heard her open the door._

_"Hey. Did you talk to Taylor yet?" Haley asked shyly._

_"Yeah. I did." Nathan said emotionless._

_"And?" She probed._

_"And she's leaving." Was his response._

_Haley sighed. She lied about Taylor pretending to be her. She did E-mail Chris, and she did kiss him, but she couldn't tell Nathan that. _

_"Nathan, are you still mad about the E-mail?" She questioned her husband._

_"Hell yeah I'm mad. I'm pissed Hales. You know I can't stand they guys and yet you E-mail him anyway." Nathan says angrily._

_"Nathan. It was only one E-mail!" Haley said running her hands through her hair._

_"One E-mail too many. You...you got pissed as hell at me when I kept pictures of Peyton on my computer, and I was totally honest with you." Nathan said in frustration._

_"What does this have to do with Peyton?" She asked taken back._

_"All I'm saying is, is that you got mad at me and I was being honest with you. And now you expect me to be okay when you're clearly lying to me." He shouted._

_"Nathan, I am not lying to you." She said hoping that he would believe her._

_"As soon as Taylor gets home...I want her gone." He says walking away into his bedroom._

_Haley stood there dumbfounded. What did their situation with Chris have anything to do with Peyton?  
_

_

* * *

_"Damn Nate. How many candles do you need?" Skills asked.

Nathan huffed with his hands firmly on his hips. "As many as it takes."

Fergie, Junk, Lucas and Sawyer were all on the black top of the basketball court putting down candles to spell out the phrase, 'Marry Me Peyton'.

They had run out of candles, so Skills had offered to go pick some up.

"Pick up about one hundred more." Nathan said finally giving him a clear answer. "And pick up a bouquet of lilies while you're out...maybe two bouquets."

"Nate, man. You gotta breathe." Lucas said to his younger brother.

"I just want this to be perfect. I mean, I proposed to her in my car, without a ring, after she got back from the cemetery. This needs to be perfect." Nathan rambled.

"And it will be. Just go easy on the guys, they're helping you out." Lucas said.

"Yeah I know." Nathan sighed.

"Daddy, are you gonna light all these candles?" Sawyer asked seriously as she spelled out the word 'Me'.

"Yeah. I'm going to light every single one of them." He said to her just as seriously.

"Wow. That's a lot of candles." She said resuming her work.

Lucas' phone started ringing. It was Brooke.

"Hey boyfriend. How's your guys day going?" She asked through the phone.

Lucas looked up to the sky and squinted. "It's going surprisingly well. How about your girls day?"

"It's really good, we've been looking at old pictures and yearbooks all day. I'm picking up lunch for us now. Do you want me to pick you guys up anything?" She asked.

"Uh, let me check." He said to her. He covered the mouth piece with his hand and shouted to the guys. "Hey, Brooke's out buying lunch, you guys want anything?"

"Pizza!" They all shouted, including Sawyer.

Lucas laughed. "Yeah, they want pizza. Better get two boxes."

"Alright. Two boxes of pizza it is." Brooke replied.

"We're at the River Court." Lucas told her.

"I'll see you in a bit. I love you." She said.

"I love you too Pretty Girl." He said as he hung up the phone.

Soon after Luke's phone call with Brooke, Skills returned with a hundred more candles waiting to be set up for tonight. And soon after Skills showed up, Brooke showed up with two pizza's and two bottles of soda.

"Hey, hey boys. Foods here." She said getting out of her car.

"Aunt Brooke!" Sawyer yelled getting up from the asphalt an running over to her aunt.

"Hey baby girl! Are you having fun with the guys today?" She asked hugging her Goddaughter.

"So much fun! We bought a ring for Mommy and now we're making the River Court all pretty." Sawyer told Brooke.

"You bought a ring?" Brooke questioned.

"Hey Pretty Girl." Lucas said walking up to Brooke and giving her a quick kiss.

"You guys bought Peyton a ring?" She asked him as they watched Sawyer run over to Skills and Junk.

"Nate did. An engagement ring." he clarified.

"Oh. Wow." She said in shock. Her shocked expression changed to devious in a matter of seconds. "Can I see it?"

"Yeah come on. Let's get these pizza's over there." Lucas said taking the pizza's from her car to the group of hungry mouths.

"So, Hot Shot. Your kid told me that you bought Peyton an engagement ring." Brooke said into Nathans ear.

Nathan chuckled.

"Well...let's see it." Brooke demanded.

Nathan took the box out of his pocket and handed it to Brooke. She took it from his hands and opened the gray box.

"Wow." She whispered.

"Do you think Peyton will like it?" Nathan asked.

"Oh I don't know Nate. Girls usually hate getting big diamonds." Brooke jokes as she slipped the ring onto her own finger.

Nathan laughed.

"She's gonna love it. This is perfect." Brooke told him truthfully, handing the ring and the box back to him.

"Thanks. Hey, I'm gonna need you to do me a favor." He said to her.

"Sure what's up?" She asked.

"I need you to get Peyton here by six thirty. And tell her to dress nice." Nathan said with a smile gesturing to the candles.

"Oh my God! Nathan!" Brooke exclaimed. She ran over to the spot on the River Court where the candles were being laid out, she had completely missed them when she first got here.

She turned around, looked at Nathan and smiled. "She's gonna go nuts Nate."

He walked over to Brooke and the candles and smiled putting his head down. "I love her Brooke. And I need to do things the right way from now on. Starting today."

"Good answer. You're turning into the guy she always knew you could be." Brooke said with a dimpled smile.

* * *

_'He just loved you a little bit more.'_ What did that mean? And why did Haley tell her that? They were married, of course Nathan loved Haley, he wasn't in love with Peyton throughout their marriage. He couldn't have been...right? The entire time Haley was on tour he was grieving over her and missing her like crazy. What was that about? Never once did he make it seem like he was in love with Peyton. This was killing her...she had to ask.

"What do you mean he always loved me more." Peyton asked fiddling with a picture in her hand.

Haley sighed, putting down a yearbook she was flipping through. "I think I always knew it. You know? I guess because I was in love for the first time, I thought he was in love too."

"But he was Haley, he married you and...and he waited until you were ready." Peyton said.

"Yeah, but...I was a rebound...from you, and I think we all know it." Haley said with a sad smile. "Look, there's no hard feelings okay, it's just, what's done is done."

Peyton looked at her friend and sighed as well. "Is that why you went on tour?"

"I think part of the reason." Haley admitted. "I didn't want to be with Chris, but I didn't want to be second best with Nathan either. Going on tour was the easy way out."

"Second best to me?" The blond questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Yup." Haley nodded. "I knew that Nathan hated Chris and I went anyway, because I knew that he would try to make our marriage work no matter what. And I didn't want that, I didn't want to be with him when you were all that he thought about."

"I'm really sorry Haley." Peyton said with sincerity.

"Peyton, you have nothing to be sorry about." Haley laughed.

"No, I do. I made such a mess out of everyone's lives when I broke up with him." She sighed. "I went after Lucas, I lost Brooke, you and Nathan got married. And now look, we're back to where we started."

"Yeah, but...sometimes you have to go through all the hurt and pain in order to see the light at the end of the tunnel." Haley said with a smile.

Peyton nodded and smiled. "I love him Haley."

"I know." She replied as she thought back to when she left on tour.

* * *

_They both enter their apartment after a long night at Tric watching The Wreckers perform._

_"You know, now that Taylor's leaving maybe we'll have enough hot water for our _own_ showers." Nathan said._

_Haley smiles and closes the door, she eyes him a couple of times before hoping on the counter with a sigh. She pulls him in close and hugs him sadly._

_"Haley, what's wrong?" He asks her concerned._

_"Um...Michelle Branch likes my voice. She thinks I could be a singer. A real one." She says as she lets him go._

_Nathan smiles, he always knew she had a good voice, and knew that one day she would be great._

_"...Chris said that she wants me on tour." The minuet she said that Nathans smile dropped. "I'm so far ahead with classes and I'll be back in time for finals."_

_Nathan nods, but not for approval. "Says the great Chris." He says sarcastically._

_Haley shakes her head. "No, this isn't about him, Nathan. This is about...opportunity. I have, my entire life, been the reliable one and the dependable one and I've always done...precisely what's expected of me."_

_"Till we got married." Nathan said for her._

_"Exactly. And then I finally did something for me...Something that _I_ wanted...And the world didn't end." She says smiling sadly. "And I have that chance again."_

_Nathan raises his eyebrows. "If you leave me."_

_"This is _not_ the end for us. This is my shot to find out if I'm good enough to have a life in music. Or if nights at TRIC are all I get." Haley explains to him._

_"And this has nothing to do with Chris?" He asks apprehensively._

_"No, absolutely not." She says quietly._

_He snorts silently. "Then why haven't you asked me to come with you?"_

_She stays silent, unable to answer the question._

_"Did you kiss him?" Nathan asks brokenly._

_After a long pause, she finally responds. "Yes."_

_Nathan sighs deeply, shaking his head._

_"I'm sorry. You have to believe me. That is not what this is about." She says quietly._

_"Then what is this about?" He asks._

_She sighs. "This is about my music...and about us."_

_"What about us? Haley I love you." He tells her._

_"More than Peyton?" She dares to ask._

_He pauses for a minuet. "...Yes."_

_She sighs. "Nathan, you shouldn't have to think about the answer to that."_

_"Haley, listen; if you wanna go, you should go...if you do, we're done." he says with finality._

_Haley gasps as she watches Nathan leave the apartment. Their marriage is over, he is in love with Peyton; she's left with no other choice than to go on tour.

* * *

_Brooke finally returns to the house with pizza and soda.

"Geez, took you long enough." Peyton said grabbing a slice from the box.

"Yeah! Where did you go to get this pizza Brooke?" Haley asked pouring three glasses of soda.

"So what did you two do while I was away?" Brooke asked.

The two of them glanced at each other and smiled.

"Oh, nothing, just talked a bit." Haley answered.

Peyton took a bite of her pizza. "Brooke what took you so long?"

"You'll see soon enough . You'll see." She said under her breath.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: So, I think this is my favorite chapter. It's the proposal and I did the best I could. I took some dialogue from Nathans re-proposal to Haley and Lucas' re-proposal to Peyton, a nice little mix. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I do. Reviews are welcomed, please give feedback, I love it! xoxo R&R.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

* * *

**

The guys just finished lighting the last candle as Lucas was decorating the basketball hoops with strings of lights. The River Court looked beautiful, it was everything Nathan had imagined and more. And in two more hours he was going to propose to Peyton, again, and this time, with a ring. Nathan watched as his four year old daughter drew hearts all around the court with chalk, she couldn't be more like Peyton if she tried. He smiled at the thought of his fiance, he can't wait until the day he can call her his wife.

"Daddy, do you think I should draw more hearts?" Sawyer asked seriously licking her lips as she filled in a heart.

He laughed. "Yeah, I think there should be about two more over there." He said pointing to a blank area on the blacktop.

"Gottcha." She said skipping over to the spot.

"Look Nate we're gonna head outta here." Skills said.

"Yeah. Go ahead." Nathan responded. "Hey Skills, thanks."

"No problem Nate, I didn't do this for you anyways, I did it for Skinny Girl." Skills joked.

"Hope it goes well man."Junk said following Skils.

"See ya Nate. Bye Luke." Fergie said following his two friends.

"See you guys." Lucas shouted from the ladder. "So Nathan, what's the plan for this proposal?"

"Uh...I don't know, I haven't really thought about it." Nathan answered dumbfounded.

Lucas laughed. "Nate, she's gonna say yes, I mean, you two are already engaged."

"Yeah. Hey, uh, would you be able to watch Sawyer at your place while we're here?" Nathan asked his older brother.

"Absolutely. What time is Brooke bringing Peyton here?" Luke asked finishing up the first basketball hoop.

"I told her six thirty. Should I tell her six? Is that too early? Is it too late?" He asked in a panic.

"Calm down, tell Brooke six, at least that gives the two of you a little more time together." Lucas said carrying the ladder across the court.

"Yeah, six." Nathan said under his breath, taking his phone out of his pocket.

* * *

"You know, I am really jealous of your family." Brooke said to Haley, as she flipped through an old family album.

"Oh stop, you can't be serious. My family is worse than the circus." Haley said grabbing a pile of pictures and taking them over to the bed.

"No, I'm serious." Brooke said lifting her eyes from the photo's. "Look at you guys, you're all smiling in this picture with your parents..._you have_ a picture with your parents. I'd kill for that."

"I guess I'm pretty lucky." Haley admitted.

"Extremely lucky." Peyton added. "You have both parents and a ton of brothers and sisters that adore."

"Okay, stop you guys. They aren't that great." Haley said slightly embarrassed at her friends gushing over her family.

"But they are. This is the kind of family that I want." Brooke said admiring the James Family.

"You guys are picture perfect Hales." Peyton said with a smile.

"We're all gonna have that." Haley said confidently looking from Peyton to Brooke. "You'll see."

Just as Brooke placed a gentle hand on Haley's knee, her cell phone rang. It was Nathan.

"Hey. What's going on?" She asked.

"Change in plans. Bring her at six." Nathan said in a rushed voice.

"Okay. Dinner sounds like a great idea." Brooke said with a sly smile.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"Yeah, we could be ready by six." She said, hoping Peyton was listening.

"Brooke..." Nathan said.

"I love you Luke. Bye Boyfriend." She said into the receiver causing Nathan to laugh.

"Bye Brooke." He sad as she hung up.

"So, that was Lucas, he and Nathan want to take us out to dinner. How does that sound P. Sawyer?" Brooke lied.

"Tonight?" Peyton asked.

Brooke nodded her head.

"Uh, who's gonna watch Sawyer?" She asked.

"I'll watch her." Haley offered. "Really, it's no big deal. I have nothing better going on."

"Okay." Peyton said with a smile. "This is good."

Brooke smiled triumphantly. "Yeah it is."

* * *

"Your girlfriend is crazy." Nathan said once he was off the phone with Brooke.

"Who? Brooke?" Lucas joked. "Nahhh."

Lucas joined Sawyer at the picnic table where she has been drawing the past few hours. She looked up at her Godfather and smiled, resuming her art work.

"Brooke's bringing her here at six." Nathan said walking over to them.

"Okay. Go home. Shower. And get ready, I'll watch Sawyer." Lucas said calmly standing from the table.

Nathan nodded his head and took a deep breath. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

"I'm gonna shower really quick, okay?" Peyton said to her two friends.

"Yeah sure." Brooke said putting some pictures away.

"Yeah. I'll be gone when you get out." Haley smiled doing the same.

Peyton smiled and left the room. Brooke looked at Haley anxiously. She knew a secret, and she had to share it. She look towards the door, listening intently. And then she heard it, the water from the shower. Brooke jumped up and closed her bedroom door.

"Nathan is proposing to Peyton!" Brooke squealed jumping up and bit.

Haley laughed at her antics. "I thought he already did?"

"Again, he's doing it again, but with a ring and at the River Court, and it's beautiful." Brooke said with excitement.

"That's sweet." Haley said with a smile. "I'm guessing that you're not going out to dinner huh?"

"Nope, well Peyton isn't, but we are. You, me, Lucas and our girl Sawyer." She responded with a dimpled smile, picking up her phone.

Haley left for Luke's and Brooke got ready as if she were about to go out to dinner. She slipped on a strapless navy blue dress, threw her hair up into a side swept pony tail and slipped on her heels. She was applying mascara when Peyton rushed into her room.

"Brooke. I don't know what to wear." She said in a towel.

Brooke put down her make-up and laughed. "Wear the dress you got last night."

"Great idea!" Peyton yelled running down the hallway.

Brooke shook her head at the blond and continued applying her make-up. She finished up, put in some lip gloss, grabbed her purse and left her room.

"Hey, I'm gonna head downstairs P." She shouted.

"Okay, I'll be down in a sec." Peyton answered.

"No you won't." Brooke yelled walking down the stairs.

She took a seat on the couch waiting for Peyton to finish so they can leave, when her phone rang.

"Hey Nate." She responded.

"Where are you guys?" He asked desperately.

"At home. Fake Goldilocks is still getting ready." Brooke told him.

"Brooke, it's six." Nathan said just as desperately as before.

"Yeah, I know. And Peyton is still getting ready, deal with it Hot Shot." She said to him with finality.

As soon as she said that Peyton came down the stairs into the living room where Brooke was sitting.

"Never-mind. She's ready." Brooke said hanging up the phone. "You look beautiful." She said with a smile.

Peyton chuckled. "Thanks, these dresses are great." Referring to Brooke's dress as well as her own.

"I know." Brooke replied cockily. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Uncle Luke, are we going back to the River Court?" Sawyer asked Lucas.

Lucas put down his book at turned to his niece. "No. We're not."

Sawyer furrowed her brow. "Why not?"

Good question, why not? How on Earth was he going to answer this question without probing more questions out of her.

"You know, I'm not really sure. I think this is something that your dad wants to do alone." He answered her.

"Oh, like when I go to the potty like a big girl?" She asked seriously, trying to make a comparison.

Lucas tried to contain his laughter. "Yeah, just like that."

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Sawyer jumped up and shouted.

"Hey, wait for me." Lucas said getting up from the couch following her.

But Sawyer didn't wait. "Aunt Haley!"

"Hey Sawyer!" She said lifting her up and giving her a hug.

"Hales, what are you doing here. And why didn't you just walk in?" Lucas asked giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi. I'm here because we're going out for dinner, and I don't really know." She laughed.

"Aunt Haley, come here! Look at this!" Sawyer exclaimed, dragging her over to the floor where she was sketching.

"Wow, this is really nice! Can you draw me something?" Haley asked.

Sawyer nodded her head. "What do you want?"

"Hummm...can you draw a guitar and a microphone?" She asked.

"Sure." Sawyer responded grabbing a fresh piece of paper.

Haley got up from the floor and joined Lucas on the couch.

"What do you mean we're going out for dinner?" Lucas asked.

* * *

Peyton and Brooke rolled up to the River Court at 6:10. Peyton was digging through her purse when Brooke came to a stop.

"We're stopping, why are we stopping?" Peyton asked lifting her head slightly. "Why are we at the River Court?"

"Nathan wanted me to drop you off here. I'm gonna pick up Luke." Brooke said unlocking the doors.

"Ohh. Okay." Peyton said, hesitantly opening the door.

"Go." Brooke urged. "Don't forget to smile."

Peyton got out of the car and laughed.

"See ya in a bit." She said as she closed the door.

As soon as the door was shut Brooke slammed the car in reverse and flew out of there, leaving Peyton alone at the River Court. She looked off in the direction Brooke drove off into, she spun around when she heard a cough. She couldn't believe her eyes once she turned around. The lights were on, there were strings of lights wrapped around the basketball hoops, and there were flowers scattered all over the black top. When she got a little closer she saw Nathan. He was near candles that were in the middle of the court lit up. As she walked forward she saw what they said. _'Marry Me Peyton'_. Her heart was beating so fast, she could have sworn it would beat out of her chest.

"Now, I know that we're already engaged. And I'm not sure if I'm supposed to get down on one knee but..." Nathan said as he got down on one knee right in front of the candles, he held the small box up and opened it, revealing the ring.

"Oh." Peyton said quietly. "Is that for me?" She asked lifting her shaky hands to her chest.

"Yes. Marry me." Nathan said in true Nathan Scott fashion, smirk and all.

"Yes." Here eyes lit up as she whispered.

He got up from he knee and slipped the ring onto her finger. "Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding? It's beautiful!" She said staring at the new addition on her hand.

"Now it's right where it belongs." Nathan said taking her hand.

"And it will be forever." She answered pulling him in for a searing kiss. "I am so in love with you."

"I know the River Court is kind of special for us." He smiled, and then he got serious. "Over the past few years, I haven't been the greatest person. I've been a jerk and I haven't been there for you...or Sawyer." Nathan started.

Peyton shook her head. "You're here now." She whispered with tears threatening to escape her eyes.

He looked down at his feet, he raised his stormy blue eyes and met his fiances emerald green ones. "In these past few weeks that I've spent with you and our beautiful daughter, I've learned so much about life and love...and even if I could, I wouldn't take back all the bad stuff that's happened between us, because it brought us here. This moment. This river. And I promise you Peyton, I will always be there for you. I will never leave you. Ever." He finished passionately.

"Good. Because I have a lot of dreams wrapped up in you." She said quietly, pulling him in yet again for another kiss.

* * *

The four of them sat together at the bar in TRIC; Sawyer, Brooke, Haley and Lucas.

"Hey Owen. Can I get a an Appletini for me, a Mojito for my boyfriend over there, a Long Island Iced Tea for Singer Girl, oh...and an Apple Juice for the little one." Brooke ordered before turning around facing Haley.

"Brooke, really? Bringing a four year old to a bar?" Haley asked gesturing towards Sawyer, who was sitting comfortably on her uncles lap.

"It's a family bar. They serve food." Brooke said in her defense. "It's Karen's bar."

"What if Peyton..." Haley began.

"Haley." Brooke said putting her hands up. "It's fine, she's been here before. This is nothing new to her. And Peyton won't be mad. Promise."

"Uncle Lucas, am I sleeping over your house tonight?" Sawyer asked taking her apple juice from the bartender.

"No, I don't think so. You're sleeping at home with your mom and aunt." He answered.

"Aunt Brooke?" She asked with excitement.

"Yes baby girl! Aunt Brooke." Brooke said peppering her cheek with kisses.

"Can we sleep in your room tonight? I've missed you." Sawyer asked sweetly.

Brooke brought lifted her hands to her heart, and looked at Sawyer adoringly. "Of course we can. I've missed you too."

Sawyer hopped off Luke's lap and over to Brooke signaling to be picked up. Brooke took no time in lifting up her niece and holding onto her securely. Sawyer rested her head on Brooke's shoulder and she took a seat at the bar.

"So, what could I get you guys to eat?" Owen asked.

"Three orders of chicken fingers and fries." Lucas answered.

Lucas looked around searching for Haley. He found her, she was by the stage signing autographs for three teenage girls who couldn't wipe the smiles off of their faces. Lucas smiled when he heard her song Halo being played by the DJ.

"This is Aunt Haley." Sawyer said pointing to the speakers, her head still resting on Brooke's shoulder.

"Yeah it is." Brooke answered, a little surprised she knew that.

"She sounds pretty." She responded.

"Hey, Hales." Brooke called. "Looks like you have another fan."

Haley returned to the bar and looked at Brooke questioningly.

"You sound pretty Aunt Haley." Sawyer told her with a yawn.

"Thanks girly." Haley said rubbing her hair gently. "You tired?"

Sawyer nodded, blinking her heavy eyes.

"Awe." Haley cooed, continuously rubbing her hair.

"Okay, we'll just finish up dinner and we'll go home. Alright?" Brooke suggested.

They all nodded, knowing well enough that if Sawyer was kept up too late, she'd be cranky and if Sawyer is cranky, so are Peyton and Brooke. And no one wants three cranky females. Lucas noticed Sawyers eyes fluttering shut, struggling to stay awake.

"Brooke, you should take her home." Lucas said putting the food in a to-go box.

"Is she out?" Brooke asked holding Sawyer.

"Just about." Haley nodded.

"Alright. Let's go." Brooke said getting up grabbing her purse with one hand and hanging onto Sawyer with the other. They paid for the food and left TRIC. Brooke watched as Lucas removed the booster seat from his car and loaded it into hers.

"I wonder how the proposal went." Haley wondered aloud, putting on her cardigan.

"Yeah, me too." Brooke answered finally strapping a sleeping Sawyer into her seat.

"You gonna be okay?" Lucas asked once she closed the door to the car.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." She answered.

"You sure?" He questioned.

"Luke, trust me, I've done this plenty of times over the last five years." Brooke told him.

Haley looked away as Luke nodded. "Yeah. I forgot."

Brooke shrugged a shoulder. "I didn't."

"Uh, Luke, I'll just um...wait in the car." Haley said feeling a little uncomfortable. "Night Brooke."

"Bye Hales. It was fun today. We'll have to do it again sometime." She rasped.

"Yeah we do." Haley smiled as she got into Lucas' car.

Lucas and Brooke stood near her car as it ran.

"I should really get home and get her into bed." Brooke said breaking the silence.

"Okay." He nodded. "I love you, you know that."

She smiled and hugged him. "I do. And I love you too Lucas Scott."

He walked her over to the drivers side door and kissed her as she got in.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she closed the door.

* * *

Nathan grabbed Peyton's hand and lead her over to the hearts that were drawn sporadically all over the asphalt.

"Sawyer drew them." Nathan informed her.

Peyton's eyes snapped up from the floor. "She knew?"

Nathan nodded with a smile. "She helped. She actually picked out the ring."

Peyton looked at her finger and grinned. "I love it."

"I'm glad, because it wasn't cheap." He joked.

She smacked his arm playfully. "Thank you. This is all so beautiful."

"I had to do something right." He shrugged. "Why not start today."

"Let's start today." She said suddenly.

Nathan looked at her with a puzzled look.

"A baby." She said quietly.

His eyes lit up. "Really?"

Peyton nodded and smiled coyly. "Practice makes perfect right?"

"You bet your ass it does." He answered huskily, lifting her into his arm; heading straight for his car.

* * *

**Ahh! Not what I originally planned, but what can you do? =) Oh and I'm not sure if TRIC actually serves food in the show, but in my fic...it does. **


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Shame on me for taking over a month to UD. I hate waiting that long, but my comp has been on the fritz lately. So here's the story; I had this chapter written but every time I re-read it I hated it. No one was in character and I just couldn't post it, so after reviewing it and rewriting it I came up with this. Nothing big, just filler- I hope it's at least enjoyable.**

**P.S: Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews...especially my reviewers. You guys are seriously awesome...it makes my day when I see your comments. So please, keep them coming. Give me feedback, ideas, anything...I want to write what my readers want to read. =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.**

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Peyton stepped out of the shower and reached for her towel. The glistening light that reflected off of her ring caught her eye, she held out her left hand and stared at the new addition. Her ring was absolutely perfect; that night was absolutely perfect. Actually it was better than perfect...

_Nathan slid one of Peyton's straps off her shoulder, he peppered her neck with kisses before grabbing her face gently and kissing her lips._

_She smiled coyly at him, and her slender hand reached for his belt.  
_

_"Are you sure about this?" Nathan asked kissing her tenderly._

_She nodded. "I've never been more sure."_

_"Even if it's in the back seat of my car?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow._

_"Nathan Scott, in case you've forgotten, we've done great things in the back seat of our cars." She joked._

_"Dirty things..." Nathan said huskily._

_"Very dirty things..." She whispered, unzipping his pants.  
_

_"Oh God, you're gonna kill me." He groaned._

_"Baby, I'm jut getting started."_

She smiled at the memory. That was a week and a half ago. An hour before he left for Charlotte. An hour before he left her and Sawyer. An hour after he asked her to be his wife and presented her with a beautiful diamond engagement ring. And now he's gone, playing basketball miles away, without them. She wasn't mad, this is his passion...his art and he's great at it, she just misses him.

* * *

"If you're just tuning in, the Bobcats lead the Cavilers 39-32." Mouths friendly voice announced through the TV. "We've got some big news tonight; after a five week hiatus, the Charlotte Bobcats point guard Nathan Scott is back in action! Welcome back Nate, we've missed you."

Brooke and Sawyer sat cuddled up together on the couch watching Nathans game.

"Welcome back P, we've missed you." Brooke said as Peyton entered the living room with a towel wrapped around her head.

"Hi Mommy." Sawyer piped up from the couch.

"Hey baby!" She whispered kissing her daughter's cheek. "How's he doing tonight?" She asked Brooke.

"Not too bad, he hasn't played much; they just took him out." Brooke answered, her eyes glued onto the TV. "Aw come on! You should've had that!"

Peyton's eyes were scanning the TV, searching for her benched fiance.

"He's to the left with the towel around his neck." The brunette responded noticing her friends actions.

"That obvious?" Peyton asked with a small laugh.

"That obvious." Brooke laughed.

She laughed with her friend as they watched the basketball game. Peyton sucked in a breath and sat up straighter than usual, something wasn't right. She put one hand to her heart and the other to her stomach, and got up muttering something about being thirsty.

Brooke watched Peyton's behavior and didn't feel right about it. She had a hunch that something was something up, Peyton's been acting weird ever since Nathan left. She knew her friend was missing her man, but it's only been a week or so, and it's not like he's going to be gone forever, he's coming back. Brooke rose from the couch and followed her friend determined to find out what was wrong.

"Peyton, wait!" Brooke said meeting up with her in the kitchen.

Peyton was doubled over clutching the edge of the counter when she heard Brooke. Brooke rushed over to Peyton's side and grabbed her arm.

"Honey, are you okay?" Brooke asked in a panic.

She nodded and stood up straight. "I'm fine."

Brooke wasn't buying it.

"You sure?" She questioned, raising her eyebrow.

"Positive." Peyton answered.

"Aunt Brooke! Daddy's playing again!" Sawyer yelled from the couch.

"Okay. Let's go watch your baby-daddy play." She said to Peyton letting it go.

"I'm really glad you're hear Brooke. I've missed you, and Sawyer's missed you." Peyton said pulling her in for a hug.

Brooke smiled sadly. "I know the feeling."

"I mean it. Don't ever feel like you're not needed. Okay?" Peyton said grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Okay." She replied walking back to the couch with Peyton.

* * *

Haley opened Luke's kitchen door and let herself right in. He knew she was coming over, why bother knocking right?

"Luke." She yelled placing two coffees and a bag on the table. "Lucas? Anyone here?"

Lucas walked out of the living room scratching his head, dressed in his pajamas.

"Don't you think it's a little early for pajamas?" Haley asked with a smile.

"Hey, it's never to early for pajamas." He defended, pointing a finger at her.

She laughed. "Yeah, well, I brought coffee. Oh, and donuts."

"Donuts." He said grabbing the bag from the table. He took his coffee and made his way back to the living room.

"How's the game? Who's winning?" Haley asked as she followed Lucas.

"Bobcats are up. Nathans benched right now." Lucas answered taking a sip of his coffee.

"Is his hand okay?"Haley questioned.

"I think it's fine. They probably don't want to over do it though." He replied.

"If you're just tuning in, the Bobcats lead the Cavilers 39-32." Mouth announced through the TV. "We've got some big news tonight; after a five week hiatus, the Charlotte Bobcats point guard Nathan Scott is back in action! Welcome back Nate, we've missed you."

"How's Brooke been? Have you seen her lately?" Haley asked looking at Lucas.

"She's good, you know...she's been with Peyton and Sawyer a lot since Nathan left. She needed that, time with them. She never admitted it, but I know she missed them." Lucas answered.

Haley nodded. "Yeah. Peyton hasn't been by the studio much since he left. I mean, I didn't expect her to be but...I'm glad Brooke's there for her. How's she holding up?"

"Brooke said she misses him, but she hasn't talked about it yet." He replied.

"Maybe we should stop over there. I mean, while he's away...I just think she needs her friends to keep her company." Haley suggested.

"Aw come on! He should've had that!" Lucas yelled, he turned to see Haley's amused expression. "Uh, yeah...yeah we should."

* * *

"Great game Nathan. It's great to have you back." His couch said patting him on the shoulder.

The team slowly started heading out and the buzz of the chatter started dying down as Nathan hung up his jersey. He placed it back in his cubby hole, and glanced up at the pictures that were pinned up on both sides of his name. He couldn't help but smile, his daughter and his fiances emerald green eyes were boring holes into him. He missed them, but he missed this too. Playing the game he loved, showering in the locker rooms after winning, hanging up his jersey for the night before returning home. Only this time he wouldn't be returning home, he would be going to his old apartment, because home is where his girls are...and they're not here.

"Yo man, I heard you got engaged." Derrick said picking up his duffel bag. "Congrats."

Nathan laughed. "Yeah, thanks man."

"If you're not doing nothing tonight, there's a party at DJ's place. You should hit it up." Derrick said pointing at Nathan.

"I don't know man, we'll see." Nathan said shrugging his shoulders.

"It's a damn shame you're off the market now. The ladies ain't gonna be too happy." Derrick joked as he walked out of the locker room.

A party; he hasn't been to a party in the last two months. He sat on the bench and weighed his options. He could stay at home and do virtually nothing all night or go to the party and enjoy himself for a few hours. A party. Nathan checked the time. He grabbed his duffel bag and made his decision.

* * *

Brooke lifted a sleeping Sawyer off the couch and smiled at Peyton.

"Thanks B." Peyton said playing with the phone in her hands.

"No problem." She responded as she carried her up the stairs.

Peyton stared at the phone in her lap. The game only ended a few minuets ago, he's probably showering or on his way home...not Tree Hill home, his apartment home. She heard Brooke coming down the stairs and she placed her phone on the side table.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to Luke's. I won't be gone too long, you gonna be okay?" Brooke asked throwing her purse over her shoulder.

Peyton nodded. "Brooke, you don't have to babysit me. I'm fine."

Brooke shrugged. "You worry me sometimes P. Sawyer."

"I'm good. Don't rush, okay. You and Lucas need some alone time." Peyton hinted sending her a wink.

Brooke opened the front door, she glanced back at Peyton sitting on the couch and tilted her head slightly. "Call me. If you want me to come home I will."

"Goodbye Brooke Davis." Peyton said with a smile.

And that's when it happened, her phone rang. The timing couldn't be any better, it was Nathan.

"Hi. How was the game?" She asked into the receiver.

"It was good. I wish you were there though." He answered.

"Yeah me too. It sucks being in Tree Hill while you're in Charlotte winning games without us." Peyton said.

"How's Sawyer?" Nathan asked.

Peyton turned off the TV and made her way upstairs.

"She's sleeping. Been spending most of her time with Brooke. She misses you though." She said with a smile.

"I can't wait to come home. I hate it here." He told her.

"No you don't." She laughed, pulling back the sheets on her bed.

"No. I don't, but I hate not having you here." Nathan replied.

She could hear the smile in his voice, and that made her feel a bit better.

He sat alone on his sofa, the TV softly buzzing in front of him. He missed her, he missed hearing his daughters laughter when he said something funny, he missed the way Peyton would brush her curls out of her face...and those legs.

"Yeah, but you'll be home soon enough, and then we can finish practicing." Peyton suggested.

He laughed. "I like the sound of that."

"I bet you do." She joked settling herself into her bed...alone. "What do you have planned for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we're flying to Boston. We have a game in three days." He answered.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." She yawned.

"Go to sleep Peyton." He said quietly.

"I wanna talk to you."

"Go to sleep, we'll talk in the morning. I love you." Nathan whispered.

"I love you." She replied, drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

Lucas had his eyes closed as he rubbed circles on Brookes back as she silently rested her head on his chest. She's been oddly quiet all night, and that had him worrying. She let out a sigh and shifted her head.

"There's something up with Peyton." She said out of the blue.

"What?" Lucas asked, his eyes still closed.

"Somethings wrong. And she's not telling me." Brooke said.

"Brooke, if she's not telling you anything, then maybe nothings wrong." He offered.

She shook her head and sat up. "No, Luke...I saw her clutching the counter, bent over."

"Maybe she knocked into it."

"Lucas. I'm serious. Do you know if she's said anything to Haley?" Brooke asked desperate for an answer.

"Nah, she hasn't been by the studio." Lucas answered sitting up.

Brooke sat on Lucas' bed and looked at him. She was worried about Peyton, something wasn't right. Her hazel eyes glasses over and tears were threatening to fall.

"Hey, she's fine. If it was something to worry about, she'd tell you." He comforted her.

"I don't know. Maybe we should call Nathan." Brooke suggested, almost pleading with him.

"Or maybe we shouldn't. If we call him it'll just make him worry and it'll probably piss her off." Lucas said laying down again. "Come here.

She shifted herself close to Lucas' side and slung her arm around his stomach.

"Yeah, you're right. She'd tell me if something were wrong." Brooke said aloud, seemingly trying to convince herself.

"I told you." He said kissing her forehead.

"Yeah, yeah." She said quietly drifting off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Peyton woke up with Sawyer coloring silently at the end of her bed, laying on her stomach; her legs tangled together, toes pointing towards the ceiling. Peyton moved quietly to the end of the bed and layed next to her daughter.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Peyton asked her as she watched her color.

"Aunt Brooke told me to let you sleep." She replied.

Peyton sat up and looked around. Brooke had been here?

"Brooke's here?" She asked.

Sawyer shook her head. "She said she's C-o-B."

"C-o-B? What's that?" Peyton asked incredulously.

"Clothes over Bros Momma." Sawyer responded hopping off the bed grabbing her crayons and coloring book.

"Well excuse me...Clothes over Bros. Come on, downstairs...let's make some breakfast." Peyton said, leading the way.

Peyton walked into the kitchen and noticed a note on the counter.

_P. Sawyer,  
Went to CoB, want to check the inventory.  
Please get your ass over to Red Bedroom Records and find new artists.  
Drop Baby Brooke off at my place.  
Love ya, Brooke_

"So, what do you want to eat?" She asked.

Sawyer put her hand to her chin and thought quietly. "Can you make pancakes?"

"Pancakes?"

Sawyer nodded.

"Pancakes it it." She watched her daughter pull out a blank sheet of paper and start to draw. She smiled as she watched her daughters green eyes deep in concentration. Today was going to be a good day.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Here's the latest installment of MTA. I think there's a lot going on, but it's setting things up for me. There's a section where Brooke and Lucas are on the phone anything in italics is Lucas talking, not a flashback...I wanted to try something new. I don't know if it works, give me your feedback. I'm leaving for vacation on Saturday for two weeks, I return Aug. 21. So there probably won't be an update. As soon as I come back I'll be right at my computer. =) Read, review & enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.**

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* * *

**

When Peyton got to TRIC it was a quarter past three. She's not quite sure why it surprised her that the place was packed; then again she hasn't really been here in a while. Totally her own fault, but today Peyton was making a change, she was getting out of her funk and getting back to work. She got the going to work part down, but there is nothing to do...she has one artist - Haley, and she's practically been running the place on her own. Okay, that's jobs number one and two - find new artists and help Haley. But how and when? When is she going to find time to look for artists when she has a child to take care of? And why does she suddenly feel so old, she's only twenty-two and she has more responsibilities and big questions on her plate then she ever imagined. Her life was finally falling into place yet nothing was getting easier...everything just gets had to be harder. Guess that's life.

As she crossed the floor heading for her office she noticed a familiar face.

"Hey Peyton. Nice to see you back." Owen said from behind the bar.

She made her way over to the bar and rested her elbows on the counter top. "Hi Owen, it's good to be back."

"So, what can I gettcha?" He asked.

"Humm...You know what, I'll have a water." Peyton said with a smile.

"Water? I thought you were going big or going home." Owen joked pouring water into a glass.

"Nah, not today. I have things to do and I need a clear head." She said placing three dollars on the counter. "Thanks."

Once she was in her office she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hasn't been here in weeks, and she knows the only reason there isn't any dust on her desk is because Haley has been here. Peyton made a mental note to thank her later and smiled inwardly at herself, she was extremely grateful for her petite friend, but it wasn't her job and she shouldn't have had to do it alone. This was Peyton's label- Haley is the artist. Something had to be done...and fast. She bit her lip before digging in her purse in search of her keys. It was now or never - she left Red Bedroom Records and jumped into her car.

* * *

"My name is Lucas Scott, I'm the new head coach of the Tree Hill Ravens. This is Antwon Taylor, my new assistant head coach. You want our credential? They're hanging right there." Lucas says pointing to the numerous banners hanging on the walls of the gym. "I know this is going to be hard for some of you...losing Coach Durham, but remember, we lost him too. We're here to make this team the best, because Whitey believed in you...we believe in you. That means you all are going to have to work for it. It's not going to be easy so if you want this I would advise you go hard. Skills?"

"I would definitely go hard." Skills replied nodding at Lucas.

"Alright. One on two drill." Lucas announced firmly.

"Everybody line up at half court." Skills shouted walking over to the basketballs, before he reached them he noticed the teams attention was else where. "Man, what ya'll lookin at?"

Peyton walked into the gym heading straight for Lucas. Half the players on the team are no longer paying any attention to Skills, all eyes are on Peyton.

"Yo! Eyes over here!" Skills yelled. "Hey there Skinny Girl."

"Hey Skills." She replied offering a wave.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Lucas asked giving her a hug.

Peyton eyes sparkled as she took a deep breath. "I kinda have a favor to ask you."

"Okay?"

"What are you doing after practice?" She asked.

"Nothing, why?" Lucas probed.

"Okay, here's the thing. You remember that office you gave me...that big, empty office? Well, it's collecting dust. I need more artists Luke, I mean...Haley's great but, I can't run a label with just one artist." Peyton explained.

"Alright. What do I have to do with this?" He asked.

"I want you to come with me...to look for artists. There's this really great place a little outside of Charleston where unsigned bands play, and I was hoping that you would take a ride up there with me." She told him.

"And there are going to be bands there tonight?"

"Yes." She said.

"You're sure?" He asked.

"Positive." She nodded, he green eyes shining.

He squinted his blue eyes and conceded. Of course he'd go with her, even though he's not in love with her, he still had a weakness for those eyes.

"I'll go." He sighed dramatically.

"Really?" Peyton asked hopefully.

Lucas nodded. "Really."

"Okay so I'll pick you up at like four thirty? That okay?" She questioned.

He nodded.

"Thank you Luke." She said giving him a hug. "Bye."

She turned on her heel and proceeded towards the double doors.

"Bye Skills!" She shouted before leaving.

* * *

Peyton got back to her office and oticed Haley was sitting at the piano. She smiled when Haley began playing.

"Hey Foxy." Peyton said startling her.

"Oh!" Haley gasped bringing her hand to her heart. "You scared me. I didn't think you were coming in today."

"Well, I wasn't. But then I got a note from Brooke, basically telling me to get my ass back at the studio." Peyton smiled showing Haley the note.

"Nice." Haley laughed.

"Thank you, by the way. You didn't have to take care of this place." She said sincerely.

Haley waved her hand. "Don't worry about it."

Peyton took a seat at her desk. "So, what are you up to?"

Haley opened he mouth to say something but closed it. She spun around on the piano bench and faced Peyton.

"I've had this melody stuck in my head for weeks...and it's just, I don't know...just somethings not right." Haley sighed.

"What's not right?" Peyton laughed.

"Everything. I have the melody, but that's it. It's like, I have no inspiration." She said.

"So go find it." Peyton said simply.

"Find what?" Haley asked confused.

"Inspiration." She answered. "Look, when I need a little inspiration or just a little kick in the right direction I always try to focus on what I really want, and sometimes you gotta do that alone. On a different note, Luke and I are taking a trip up to Charleston to find some unsigned bands...Maybe you should take a trip yourself."

"To Charleston?" Haley asked in confusion.

Peyton didn't answer, all she did was shrug her shoulders and flip open her lap top leaving Haley confused as ever. Maybe that's what she needed, a trip - alone, with no one but herself and her guitar. At this point the destination was not important, all she knew was that Peyton gave her a great idea... because right now, Tree Hill was doing nothing for her. She had made up her mind, she was booking a flight tonight.

* * *

Sawyer was pushing a box full of Brooke's designer clothes into the back room with Millie when Brooke got the phone call she's been dreading for weeks.

"Mother I can't...No, you don't understand...but, Mom." Brooke yelled. "Tonight? Yeah, I guess so...Yeah...whatever. Bye. UGH!" She screamed throwing her phone against the wall.

"Aunt Brooke? Are you okay?" Sawyer asked from the threshold.

Brooke mustered up a fake smile and balled her hands into fists. "I'm fine baby girl." She breathed out.

Millie heard the phone shatter against the wall and ran out to see what had happened.

"Brooke...is that your phone?" Millie questioned pointing to the broken Blackberry on the floor.

Brooke ran her hand through her hair, closed her eyes and nodded. "Can you order me a new one?"

"Uh, yeah...sure. Right away." Millie answered grabbing Sawyers hand.

"And, uh, Millie...would you be able to book me a flight out to New York?" Brooke asked.

"Out to New York?" She asked. "When?"

The fashion designer sighed. "Yeah, now."

Millie nodded and took off into the back room, leaving Sawyer with her aunt. Brooke looked around her store with a sad look in her eyes and sighed. She threw herself onto the gray couch and covered her face with her hands.

"Aunt Brooke? You're sad, aren't you?" Her niece asked joining her on the couch.

A small smile crept upon her face at the sound of Sawyers voice. She sat up and fixed her hair.

"A little." Brooke answered.

"Do you want ice cream?" Sawyer asked. "It'll make you feel better. It always makes me feel better."

"That's because you're four." Brooke rasped.

Sawyer shrugged and hopped off the couch. She extended her small hand out to her aunt in hopes that she would take it. Brooke watched as Sawyer held out her hand and she gave in. She grabbed her hand and let the four year old lead the way.

* * *

Today has been more productive than Peyton had ever imagined. She thought she was going to the office to get caught up on her massive amounts of work that she soon found out Haley already took care of. Now Haley was sitting at the piano playing one of her songs as Peyton was fiddling with the microphone on top of the piano so they can start recording.

"So do you want to put down the piano scratch track first?" Peyton asked, still working on the mic.

"Yeah, that's perfect." Haley answered flipping a piece of hair out of her face.

"Hey. Who would have thought that one day we'd be in our own recording studio making your next record together." Peyton said smiling.

"On your label." She replied. "It's great you're really enjoying your work so much Peyton...just as long as you're not using it to hide behind." Haley said in a sing-song voice as she played the piano again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Peyton laughed.

"Look, after Nathan left, he called me." Haley admitted.

Peyton looked down at her hands and held them together. "Why?"

"Because he was worried that you wouldn't go back to work and that things would build up. So he asked me to keep an eye on the studio and take care of things. And now you're back...which is great, but I can't help but feel like something's up." She told Peyton.

"It's nothing Haley, I've been out of work for too long and I just wanted to get back to it. You can't draw those kind of conclusions from a feeling." Peyton explained.

"Really, you're trying to tell me that there is nothing up and that you're not hiding something from all of us." Haley probed.

Peyton sighed. "Yeah. That's what I'm telling you."

"Yeah, well I think you're lying." The brunette said.

"Haley, we're not here to talk about this okay? We're here to record, and to be honest we don't have much time left." She said.

"So you admit there's something to talk about..." Haley said, catching her slip.

Peyton closed her eyes, it was happening again...the pain. "I don't know."

Haley noticed Peyton move awkwardly towards her desk and clutch the side. She jumped up off the bench and rushed to her side just as she began to double over. Peyton held onto Haley for support as she helped her over to the couch in the middle of the room.

"Peyton, what's going on?" Haley demanded kneeling down in front of her.

"It's nothing." Peyton breathed out.

"This is not _nothing_ Peyton. What's going on?" She asked again.

"I've...I've been having these pains." Peyton answered. "But they're probably nothing to worry about."

Haley took a deep breath. "Did you tell Brooke?"

She shook her head. "She knows somethings up though."

"You need to call a doctor." Haley said with finality.

"Hale.." She started.

"Peyton...this could be serious. You need to see a doctor." The small brunette piped up.

"Don't tell Brooke." Peyton requested.

Haley stood up and sighed running her hands through her and and throwing it in a messy bun.

"Fine." Haley conceded. "I won't tell Brooke...but you will."

She turned on her heel and grabbed her purse off Peyton's desk and headed for the door.

"I'm leaving for Savannah tonight." Haley said turning around before she left. "I'll be back in a few days...Go to the doctors Peyton."

And with that she left. Peyton sat alone on the couch, alone with nothing but her own thoughts. They never even got to record the scratch track because she had to go and slip up about absolutely nothing.

"Damn it!" Peyton shouted throwing a pillow from the couch.

"Whoa! What did I do?" Lucas joked dodging the pillow.

Peyton took a deep breath and shook her head. "Nothing. What are you doing here Luke?"

He squinted and turned his head. "We...have a date. Remember? Unsigned bands in Charleston?"

She closed her eyes and signed. "I forgot. Okay, let's go."

Peyton rose from the couch, grabbed her blazer and her keys and turned off the lights. She shut the doors to her office and locked them. The duo exited TRIC together and jumped into Peyton's Mercury Comet. She put the top down and sped off out of the parking lot.

"Everything okay?" Lucas asked once they were on the road.

Her hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were turning white. Lucas noticed this and put a gentle hand on hers.

"Talk to me." He said softly.

"Luke, there's nothing to talk about." She said quietly, almost pleading with him to drop the subject.

She didn't need someone else knowing about her mysterious pains, her friends are great but they tend to worry way too much. Maybe this is nothing, why would she worry her loved ones over something that is nothing? And if she told Lucas, he would tell Nathan and Nathan was the one person she didn't want knowing...not now anyway.

"Alright." He responded, respecting her silent plea. If she didn't want to talk he wasn't going to push her. He knew she would open up once she was ready.

"Shit! Luke, can you call Brooke and ask her if she could keep Sawyer with her for the night?" Peyton asked, realizing that she's be out later than usual.

Lucas silently complied, he took out his phone and dialed his girlfriends number.

* * *

Brooke licked the ice cream that was dripping down her cone and smiles at her goddaughter.

"You were right kid. Ice cream does make you feel better." Brooke said.

Sawyer licked her ice cream and nodded with a smile. She didn't know why Brooke was upset, but she knew she had to do something, it didn't feel right having her aunt in a sour mood. So she did what she knew best...ice cream-one can never go wrong with ice cream.

"You're mom's gonna kill me though. You know her rules about too much ice cream." Brooke rasped, rolling her eyes.

"I don't think she'll mind." Sawyer responded.

Brooke laughed. This was nice, aside from the fact that she had to leave tonight for New York, she was enjoying spending the day with Sawyer. That's when she remembered that she was leaving _tonight_, in only a matter of hours. She had to pack, drop Sawyer off with Peyton, get to the airport and board a plane she didn't want to get on.

"Okay Squirt, you almost ready to go?" She asked.

Just as Sawyer was about to answer her phone went off. She looked down and smiled, it was Luke.

"Hey Boyfriend/d." She said into the phone.

_"Hey Pretty Girl. What's going on?"_

"Sawyer and I just got some ice cream, and now I'm about to drop her off at Red Bedroom Records." She told him with a smile.

_"Uh, that's gonna be a problem."_

"Why would that be a problem, Peyton's working. And besides, I have to fly out to New York tonight."

_"Well, actually, Peyton's with me. We're heading to Charleston...there's this bar there where unsigned bands play and she wanted to see if she could sign one of them. She asked me to go with her." _

"Oh." She said blankly, grabbing Sawyers hand.

_"Yeah, I'm sorry I should have told you sooner_."

"No. Um, it's fine...it's just...what about Sawyer?" Brooke asked. "Victoria called and I need to be in New York tonight."

_"Hold on...Brooke's leaving for New York tonight, who's gonna watch Sawyer?" _She heard Lucas say.

_"New York?_" She heard Peyton yell in the background.

"I can take her to Haley's." Brooke suggested.

_"What if she takes her to Haley's?" _Luke asked Peyton.

_"Haley's going to Savannah." _She told him.

"Savannah? What's in Savannah?" Brooke asked quickly. "Oh, never mind...Jagelski. You know what, I can call Skills...see if he can take Sawyer for the night?"

_"What about Skills?"_ Lucas asked Peyton. _"Yeah, Brooke would you be able to give him a call, and if that doesn't work, call Deb."_

"Okay, look I gotta go, she's waiting for me." She told him. "Love you."

_"Love you too."

* * *

_

From 35,000 feet up in the air the Earth looked really small, Tree Hill was next to invisible. Haley pried her eyes away from the window and tried to focus on the book in her lap. But her mind was racing...there were a million little things that were running through it, and unfortunately her book wasn't one of them. It wasn't even close - she was thinking of Peyton and her mysterious pains, she was thinking of Brooke and how she had no clue what was going on and what the _hell_ was she doing flying to Savannah, Georgia?_  
_


	32. Chapter 32

**I posted this and then I for got I didn't leave an author's note. *There is some dialogue in this chapter from two episodes from season 5. You might remember them. =) Either way- read, review & enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

* * *

**

Haley grabbed her luggage and headed for the gate. What was she thinking? The dependable and reliable Haley didn't do things like this, she was the one who talked people out of doing this exact thing. She always did things that people would assume she would do, and she tried to uphold that and please everyone around her. Look at her now-she's jumping on planes and flying out to be with a guy. Through the crowd she met the brown eyes of the guy she was looking for and smiled, she's doing what she wants and that's all that matters, and once again the world didn't end.

She dropped her bags and ran right for him. Jake let go of his daughters hand and caught Haley as she jumped into his arms.

"I missed you." He whispered into her hair.

"I missed you too." She whispered back.

Jake set her down and pulled Jenny closer.

"Haley, this is Jenny."

Haley's jaw hit the floor. She hasn't seen Jenny in years, the last time she saw her she couldn't walk or talk.

"Wow. You've gotten so big." Haley said.

Jenny blushed and nervously glanced at her feet.

"It's really nice to see you Jenny." Haley said softly.

"Hey, don't be shy. I told you all about her on the way here." Jake said, nudging his daughter a little.

"You have pretty eyes." Jenny said looking at Haley with a small smile.

Haley's heart melted, she looked over at Jake and smiled. She could get used to this.

* * *

"Okay,so who is this band?" Lucas asks taking a seat next to Peyton.

"They are local and unsigned. I've heard them play once before." She answered. "I'm gonna go back and see if I can meet with them, stay here."

Peyton gets up and walks into the makeshift dressing room the band has sat up backstage. She knoce ks on the door once and opens it.

"Come in." A voice says.

She walks in and comes face to face with the lead singer.

"Hi...I'm Peyton Sawyer." She told him.

"And I'm Jason. What is this about?" He asks impatiently.

"Umm...Okay, well, I think you guys are really great..." Peyton starts.

"Look, um, I'm kinda tired so if this is just some fan club crap..."

"Oh no, no, no. I'm sorry, uh, it's just...I own my own record label and I would really love to sign you guys." Peyton said strongly.

Jason eye's her suspiciously. "Why should we sign with you?"

"Uh, well I was in L.A. for the last four years and I worked on a major record label. But I decided that I could do better working on my own, and when I hear bands like yours...I know I can. The majors are a mess right now, and so if you sign with me, I'm going to do everything I can so that you guys get to be where you wanna be." She informed them.

"What other bands do you have?" Jason asked.

"As of right now? I mean, there's nobody yet. I mean I have one other artist, but uh, I wanted you guys to be my first." Peyton said toying with her hands.

"Look, my ex girlfriend told me the same thing prom night. She was a lying bitch. I'me gonna pass, but thanks." He said opening the door to let her out.

Peyton felt like she got kicked in the stomach. That didn't go as she had planed, so she sulked back to her seat next to Lucas.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Lucas asked excitedly.

She shook her head and let out a breath. "Not too good."

"They didn't want to sign?" He questioned.

"They didn't hear it...I don't have any other bands Luke, I mean I have Haley but..." Peyton began.

"Tell them that. Make them reconsider. Come on Peyton, I know you can do this. If this band is as good as you say they are then they will change their mind. I believe in you." Lucas told her seriously.

She looked at him, considering what he had just said. 'Make them reconsider.' He was right, she can do this...and she is going to. Peyton got up from her seat and headed straight for the dressing room, and this time she was leaving her mark.

"So, maybe I don't have any other bands, but there's something my label has that others don't...me. And I have a lot of experience, more that you'd think. And the other thing that I have, that none of the other labels have, is an interest in you guys. Now I can have you guys in a recording studio tomorrow. So if it's really about music, you might want to reconsider. Have a good show." She said before walking out.

* * *

Brooke at in her hotel room alone. New York was the last place she wanted to be right now, but leave it to Victoria to set up a last minuet meeting with Macy's without her consent. She shook her head getting angry at the though. There was a violent knock on her door that broke her out of a daze. She got off the bed and opened the door.

"Hello Brooke." Victoria said sourly.

"Mother." Brooke rasped.

"Glad to see you actually came." She said letting herself in.

"Brooke furrowed her eyebrows. "Why don't you come in?" She said under her breath.

"Now, tomorrow is a very important meeting with Macy's regarding the new spring line." Victoria stated. "I scheduled it for 10:30, that should give you more than enough time to put yourself together and prepare for this."

"Put myself together?" Brooke asked.

Victoria huffed audibly. "Sweetie, you've been out of the loop for far too long. Beautiful things die in Tree Hill. Tomorrow we will be announcing the opening of our new store in Manhattan."

"New store? We already have two stores in New York." Brooke said full of confusion.

"And we will also be announcing the closing of our Tree Hill location." She added.

"No." Brooke responded. "We won't. Clothes Over Bros is doing fine in Tree Hill."

"We'll be relocating to Manhattan in three months and you're coming." Victoria informed her daughter.

"Mother!" Brooke yelled. "I cannot believe you. I'm doing fine." She sad between gritted teeth.

"Brooke, you have no idea what you're talking about. You are in way over your pretty little head." Her mother said dangerously soft.

"Just listen to me please. For the last couple of years, you have told me what to do, who to date, what to say, and I've let you because you are the brains behind this whole operation." Brooke said.

"And the company didn't seem to suffer." Victoria threw out there.

"I agree and I am grateful, but I've learned a lot and I know I can do this. Just give me a chance to prove it to you." Brooke begged.

Victoria waved her arms dismissively. "Alright, alright. I can't force you to stay in New York. If this is what you really want, then I'll respect your decision."

"Thank you." Brooke said quietly.

"I'll see you at ten sharp." Victoria said turning on her heel swiftly exiting the room.

* * *

"So...what do you like to do?" Skills asked.

Sawyer shrugged her shoulders.

The two of them stood in the middle of his apartment and stared at each other.

"You like basketball?" He asked.

"Kinda." She replied.

"Video games?" Skills questioned.

"I've never played video games." She told him.

"What? You ain't never played a video game?" Skills asked in disbelief.

"Nope."

"Damn, Nathan Scott's kid...and ain't never played a video game." He said shaking his head. "Iiight, I got the perfect game for you."

Skills went over to the television and pulled out a guitar and a drum set.

"It's called Rock Band." He said handing her the drum sticks.

The two of them played Rock Band for an hour and a half before Sawyer started to get bored. Hell, that was an hour and a half longer than Skills thought she would last. For the first time in his life he didn't know what to do, here he was, babysitting...looking after Nathan and Peyton's daughter. He scratched his bald head and looked around.

"Uncle Skills?" Sawyer said apprehensively.

"What up baby girl?" He questioned.

"Why is Grandpa Dan a bad guy?" She asked.

Ever since her father told her to stay away from him, she's had this burning question. Why? Why was he bad and why did she have to stay away from him? She couldn't ask her dad, she knew that. And she couldn't ask her Uncle Lucas either, for some reason everyone avoided the topic altogether. But she knew she could ask Skills, he would tell her.

Skills sighed and looked into her green eyes. "So you wanna know about your Grandpa Dan huh?"

She nodded awaiting his tale.

* * *

Nathan woke up to his phone ringing off the hook. He groggily rubbed his eyes and answered the phone.

"Hello?" He yawned.

"Daddy?" He heard his daughters small, scared voice through the receiver.

"Hey, Sawyer...What's wrong?" He asked fearing the worst.

"I had a bad dream." She whimpered into the phone.

"Okay, just, calm down where's Mommy?" Nathan questioned, wondering why he was getting this phone call.

"With Uncle Lucas." Sawyer informed him. "Was Grandpa Dan in prison?" She questioned in a shaky voice.

After he finally calmed Sawyer down and convinced her that Dan didn't escape to "get her" he took a good look at the number that called him. It was the guys apartment number. Skills, it had to have been. Nathan should have known, it's not like he can blame him though, no one ever talked about it and Sawyer was bound to have questions. Time to give Skills a call.

* * *

Skills was dead to the world when his cell phone went off in the middle of the night. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked at the phone. It was Nathan, Skills jumped off of the couch and ran into his bedroom to check on Sawyer. She was fast asleep on the bed, knowing she was safe he answered the phone.

"Hey Nate." Skills said , walking back into the living room.

"Did you tell Sawyer my dad was in prison?" Nathan asked.

He was in trouble now. "Maybe."

"Why?" Nathan asked loudly, but with no anger evident in his voice.

"Because he was in prison..." Skills answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Nathan let out a sigh.

"Why? What'd you tell her?" Skills asked.

"Nothing." He answered.

Skills took a seat on the stool in the kitchen, the light from the moon illuminating the room.

"Man, how am I supposed to know that? I mean, she be askin me stuff." He told Nathan.

"Well you have to lie to her man. She had a nightmare, she called me crying before." Nate said.

"Wait. She called you?" Skills asked.

"You have a house line remember?" He informed him.

"Yeah. Look, ya know she be trickin me...She all like...cute...and dem eyes." Skills said trying to defend himself.

"Yeah I know, she does have that going for her. Well alright, you said she asked you stuff. What else did you tell her?" Nathan asked.

Skills got up and poured himself a glass of milk and took out a few cookies. "Nothin much. Just the truth."

"Like?" Nathan pries.

"Like the man killed 2 Pac and Biggie, never date girls named Bevin and Santa Claus is black." Skills said taking a bite of a cookie.

Nathan chuckled a little. "Wow, you say anything about the Easter Bunny?"

"A bunny that lay eggs...man do you know how many questions she would ask me about that?" Skills asked incredulously.

"Alright, well just stay clear of the whole Dan thing until we figure out how we're gonna handle this okay?" Nathan requested.

"Fine by me. I won't say a word." Skills promised.

"Never date girls named Bevin?" Nathan laughed.

"Never." He answered seriously.

"You do know I have a daughter." Nate said.

"Man, you neva know." Skills joked.

* * *

Peyton and Lucas sat together listening to Jason's band. They played a great set which had Peyton itching even more for them to sign with her. She craned her neck, glancing around to see if she could spot anyone from the band. No luck.

"Peyton, they're gonna come around." Lucas said putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know, I know...but when?" She asked.

Something caught Lucas' eye, he tilted his head to the side and he squinted his eyes.

"Now." He answered.

Jason approached Peyton from behind, he didn't tap on her shoulder for her attention or even speak her name...he just spoke.

"So we're gonna give you a chance." He said startling her. "Don't let us down."

Peyton spun around, her eyes wide. "I won't."


	33. Chapter 33

**School is in session! This semester is going to be nuts, I'm taking 18 credits and they are all classes mandatory for my major. What was I thinking? With that being said, I'm not sure how often this will be updated. When ever I find time during my busy schedule I'll write, and when inspiration smacks me in the face I'll write. So, that means that I need killer reviews. lol. Seriously they make all the difference. I appreciate every single one I get and I am thankful for every single reviewer. You guys are awesome!  
**

**This is short, but not forgotten. Hope it fills the void.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

* * *

**

"Mmmm, this is nice." Haley mumbled into Jake's chest.

"It is, isn't it?" He replied kissing the top of her head.

"I could do this forever." She said.

"Me too." Jake answered right before Haley reached up and kissed him hard.

"Daddddy!" Jenny yelled from the hallway. "What's for breakfast?"

Haley dropped her head on his chest and laughed. Jake looked at her and smiled.

To be honest, Haley didn't know what to expect; but she had a feeling something like this would happen. She knew she had feelings for Jake, but she also knew Jake had Jenny.

"Let's go out." Haley said softly.

"You want to go out?"

She sat up straight and nodded her head with a smile. "Yeah, I do."

"Jenny!" Jake yelled. "Get dressed. We're going out for breakfast."

* * *

10 a.m. sharp; that's the time Brooke had to be at the meeting with the Macy's exec's, as per her mothers orders. Her sanity and the lively hood of her Tree Hill Store depended on her being there on time. There was no way in hell she was missing this.

She got there right on time; she watched her mother breeze past her, talking idly to the Macy's chairman.

"Mom?" Brooke called out.

Victoria turned around placing her hands on her hips. "Oh, hello darling."

"Miss Davis." The chairman nodded.

Brooke smiles over at the chairman and faces her mother. "Hi, I'm confused."

"Of course you are. The meeting was moved forward." Victoria informs her. "Not to worry, your input wasn't needed."

"But, this was my meeting." Brooke states wearily.

"Oh honey. It was just business talk, way over your head. You wouldn't have understood."

"This is_ my_ business. Clothes Over Bros is _my_ company." The brunette argued.

"Yes, a company that you haven't the slightest clue how to run properly." Her mother bit out.

Brooke looked away and clicked her tongue.

"Now, Brooke. Don't be childish, let's not make a scene."

"Make a scene? You move up the time of my meeting and you don't want me to make a scene." Brooke scoffed. "This is ridiculous."

"Think of it this way. Now you can go back to Tree Hill. You're dismissed. Go play, it's what you do best." She replied before turning around, resuming her former conversation with the chairman.

* * *

Peyton sat at her desk listen to Jason's demo. The band was rough around the edges but that's what she loved about them. They were raw, and a ton of potential. By the sound of things, this was the start of something amazing.

She can't really say she was too surprised when Brooke came through her doors with tears streaming down her cheeks mumbling something about "bitch" and "Victoria" in the same sentence. That can never be good.

"Brooke, honey. What happened?" Peyton asked getting up from behind her desk.

Brooke shook her head and melted into Peyton's embrace.

This was there thing. When something went wrong at any given point in their lives, they turned to each other, they leaned on each other. Usually it was Peyton that was doing the leaning, but that never mattered to them. This mattered; they were there for each other-no matter what, they had one another.

Peyton led her to the couch and handed her a box of tissues. She took a seat next to her and looked at her with soft eyes.

"What happened?"

"I thought she was going to let me do what I wanted. I...I thought that finally she trusted me, that she believed in me to make my own decisions."  
Brooke said between sobs. "But once again I was wrong."

"Brooke..."

She shook her head. "She doesn't think I can run my company on my own."

Peyton let out a small sigh and rested her hand gently on Brooke's knee. "You can do anything you set your mind to. You're Brooke Davis. Since when does Bitchtoria know what you can and can't do? Where was she when you won all those cheering competitions, or when you were student council president?"

Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "She told me that the Tree Hill store is a failure."

"Is that really what's got you crying?" Peyton asked.

"She made me fly out to New York only to be embarrassed and make a total fool out of in front of the Macy's exec's." She responded sniffling one last time. "Victoria called me 'childish' and the 'dismissed' me." She elaborated, using finger quotes. (What? It get the point across.)

"Brooke. You shouldn't have to put up with her, and you shouldn't be partners with someone who treats you like that." The blonde said seriously.

"Enough about me." Brooke answered in return. "What about you? You and Luke snag any good bands?"

Peyton's serious demeanor changed when Brooke asked about the band.

"As a matter of fact..." She said getting up and hitting play on her computer.

Brooke tilted her head in a 'told you so sorta way' and smiled as Peyton raised her shoulders and clasped her hands together.

"I knew you were going to come home with something good." Brooke told her.

Peyton nodded and paused the track.

"I'm happy for you P. At least one of us is on the right track."

"Hey, you are on the right track. There's just this giant road block and she goes by the name of Victoria." Peyton joked.

"Can we not talk about her anymore?" Brooke requested. "Where's Baby Brooke?"

"With Skills." Peyton answered deadpanned.

* * *

Skills was awoke by and abrupt rapping on his door. He threw the sheets off of his body and checked on Sawyer before answering the door.

"Ay yo Luke. What's good?" He asked ushering in his friend.

"Hey, Skills." Lucas said pulling him in for the 'man hug'. "Where's Sawyer?"

"Man, baby girl's still sleeping." Skills answered shrugging towards his bedroom.

"Sleeping? Skills it's noon...Wait, were you still sleeping?" Lucas questioned.

Skills rubbed the back of his bald head. "It was a rough night dawg."

The guys turned their heads when the heard the shuffle of small feet.

"Uncle Luke!" Sawyer shouted noticing her uncle in Skills' kitchen.

"Sawyer!" Lucas said scooping her up as she leaped into his arms.

"Where's Aunt Brooke?" She questioned.

"Aunt Brooke is with Mommy. They're waiting for us." He informed her.

"They are waiting for us?" She questioned pointing at the two of them.

"Yep. So go get all your things and thank Skills."

Lucas watched as Sawyer ran back into Skills' bedroom and listened to her scurry around as she packed her things. To believe that up until a few months ago he had no idea she even existed; now he can't picture his life without her. On a bad day, her presence can lighten anyone's mood.

"Uh, Luke. Listen if she asks you anything about Dan, just...just don't answer her." Skills said while Sawyer was still out of earshot.

Lucas furrowed his brows. "Why would she bring up Dan?"

"She's been askin me stuff. And she asked me about Dan last night. Then she called up Nate all cryin and scared." He answered. "So, Nate told me not to give her an answer if she asks me questions."

Lucas shook his head and laughed. There are times (like right now), when his brother and his friends never cease to amaze him.

Sawyer walked out of the bedroom with her jacket on, one sleeve falling off of her shoulder, her hat on crooked and her duffel bag dragging on the floor.

"Ready!" She smiled.

She walked over to the door and held out her hand for Lucas to grab. Skills fake coughed in order to get her attention.

"Oh!" Sawyer ran over to Skills and hugged him tightly. "Thanks." She whispered into his chest.

"You're welcome Mini P."

"Come _on_ Uncle Luke. Aunt Brooke and Mommy are waiting for us."

"See ya Skills. Thanks for watching her last night, Peyton really appreciated it." Lucas said on his way out.

"Bye Skills." He heard her shout from down the hallway.

* * *

"Daddy, Olivia wants to know if I can go over her house today." Jenny said holding the house phone in her hands. One hand holding the phone and the other strategically place over the receiver.

Jake looked at Haley who had an amused look on her face. "Jen, you know we have company."

Jenny huffed and lifted the phone to her ear. "He said that we have company over...yeah, I know. I'll try." She lowered the phone again and looked at her father.

"Jenny..." He started.

"But Daaaad! Come on. Drive me to Olivia's and then you and Haley can hang out alone here." She whined.

If Haley was drinking anything at the moment, she would have spit it out indefinitely.

"Jenny Jagielski!" Jake reprimanded.

He's gotta admit, she's got the right idea. Not that he'd ever want to hear that coming from his seven year olds lips, but she's got his best interest in mind. He loved her just a little more in that second.

"Haley, do you mind if I leave?" Jenny asked.

"Sweetie, it's really up to your dad." Haley answered trying her hardest to stay neutral and not step on Jake's toes.

"Get your coat on. Five minuets. Outside." Jake said standing from the couch grabbing his keys.

"Yes!" She said. "Okay, I'm on my way over. Bye."

Haley looked up and him and smiled. "Nice work Dad."

Jake chuckled and looked away. "Wanna come for the ride? I'll show you around town."

She nodded and took his hand. "Sounds great."

* * *

"Mommy!" Sawyer shouted running through the doors of Red Bedroom Records.

"Sawyer, hey baby girl!" Peyton said lifting her up spinning her around. "I missed you." She whispered into her soft curls.

Brooke melted into Lucas embrace. "Hi boyfriend."

"Hey Pretty Girl."

"I heard you and Fake Goldilocks over there signed a band." Brooke smiled.

"Nah, it was all Peyton." He said. "Speaking of, when is the band gonna come in and record?"

Peyton put Sawyer down and took a seat at her desk. "Hopefully whenever Haley gets back. I want her to be here when they finally lay something down."

"Baby Brooke. You don't wanna say hi to your Godmother?" Brooke asked arms crossed.

"Aunt Brooke." Sawyer smiled. "How was The Big Apple?"

Sawyer climbed on the couch and sat on the arm; her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.

Brooke laughed. "Not what I expected, but the city was beautiful."

"Will you take me there the next time you have a meeting?" The five year old questioned.

"I don't think there's gonna be a next time sweetie." Brooke said sadly.

No one saw the visitor in the doorway; his voice startling all four of them.

"Hey, we can always go there one weekend with Mommy." Nathan said with his hands in his pockets.

Peyton lifted her head up and smiled at the sight of her fiance.

"Nathan. What are you doing here?" She questioned throwing herself at him.

"I missed my girls." He shrugged.

"Daddy, I missed you." Sawyer cried, tears falling from her eyes.

"Hey, it's okay baby. I'm here." Nathan soothed her, rubbing small circles on her back.

Lucas and Brooke said their goodbyes and left the small family alone in Peyton's office.

"Aren't you supposed to be with the team?" Peyton asked hugging him one more time.

"Yeah, but I missed my family."

That was the best news she heard all day.


End file.
